Gwithian

Im sorry but sometimes I forget things.... I know what they are I just can’t remember their names...... sorry Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I seem to have made a lot of progress today.... don’t know why.... but it seems that all the work I have done to date is finally coming together..... I started with the strapping for the arms .... Started with the shoulder Bell strapping.... Punched a hole Fitted the top of the snap Job donm Stuck the male straps on the shoulder Bell.... just stuck them on with duck tape.... tat way I can work out their final location before finally gluing them.... Then did the shoulder to the above elbow bit .... sorry senior moment .... I’ve forgot what that part of my body is called..... doh Bracket stick to shoulder bit Fitted the shoulder to the other bit Taped the bell straps ... again trying to get the right place before I glue Sorry no pic Then did the bottom erm to the middle arm Really chuffed with that.... even though I don’t know exactly what I’ve done .... lol Then I sorted out the thigh strapping.... I can remember that name Trimmed and glued the drop boxes Then finished fitting the torso brackets I feel that I have got a lot done today.... I’m well chuffed [emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fantastic Frank, the transformation is amazing [emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji3][emoji3][emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Today I’ve been making the snaps to be fitted inside the arms and thighs First cut abs strips to hold the male snapper Drilled hole in centre Before snap fitted And after All done Then fitted the reinforcement to the ab and chest fir the brackets Then moved onto the drop boxes Measured where to drill the hole on the inner piece, one inch down and in the middle Fitted the elastic with the pop rivets Not too sure if they need a tad more trimming... what do you think? Thought it’s best to check before I glue And they are then fitted here Getting there bit by bit [emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A little bit of progress.... it’s been a busy week... our wedding anniversary, our granddaughters birthday and today my birthday. Got my wife a night vision camera fir our anniversary, Ferdinand the fox comes each night for his or her tea.... now we can see him /her My youngest got me this for my birthday.... it’s one of those things you think you don’t need until you have it.... a bit like a gear indicator on a motorbike Anyway I’ve used it and am well chuffed.... first class present [emoji3] Well I’ve hopefully fixed the split in the back armour ... just needs sanding Started to fit the ammo to the belt.... now I have eight of these things I’m thinking three fir the ammo belt. Two fir the holster and two for the thigh ammo? Is that right as it’s not so clear on the packet... oh and one spare Firstly I measured the centre of the belt between the two snaps which were already fitted by RS The centre was 16.5 inches from the edge of the snap and 1.5 inches from the top/ bottom I drilled the hole in the centre of the ammo belt and cut a hole on the belt with a leather hole punch The above pics are of the hole I made in the side.... didn’t take any of the centre hole.... doh Anyway a bolt fitted as a temporary measure ahead of the rivers being fitted Then I drilled the hole in each side. Placed the ammo belt on a piece of wood to help Fitted the ammo belt to the ab section Clamped it in place Marked the hole on the belt behind Cut holes and fitted bolts .... now at first I thought this isn’t right But actually when fitted to the ab it’s perfect .... the radio is if the amp is ever so slightly bigger than the belt. By doing this I was able to compensate fir that..... it wasn’t my idea one of the armours on UKG told me.... good tip.... thanks [emoji3] And finished.... well not quite it still has the bolts... that’s so I can fit the drop boxes then rivet the ammo to the belt One question.... do I do the drop boxes now or wait till I’ve sorted the thighs out.... I mean will drop boxes fitted to the belt make it difficult to see if the thighs / cod are ok..... Saying that I guess I just don’t need to fit the belt...... perhaps I’m thinking too much .... lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Today I’ve been fitting some more torso brackets..... all was going well until I did this to the back piece.... What’s the best way to repair it ? Abs paste? For some reason the back piece doesn’t line up with the kidney piece..... I was trying to make them match.... yes I used the heat gun and the return edge just split..... I must have used too much force ....doh Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well I’ve started to fit the strapping brackets to the butt and kidney armour I have previously re-enforced the return edge with additional ABS..... it still needs some final trimming with the Dremel once they are fixed on Oh dome extra snaps I bought to use to strap together the arms Tried a test drill hole on some scrap ABS Tried the bolt fir size Decided to counter sink it Marked out where to drill the first two holes on the centre of the butt Marked the holes o the centre of the kidney Fitted the bracket Now I don’t have a sewing machine so I’m going to have to stitch the elastic by hand...... how tight does the elastic need to be? On I have fitted five of the six brackets today .... so done reasonable progress..... I also fitted a snap to a scrap bit of elastic..... just practising for the arm strapping..... will attempt the same on some ABS next Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh forgot to mention.... take a look at fragarocks aka Franks build thread..... that's really helpful too

Your build is looking great P-O regarding the butt plate, I applied a little heat to mine to get it to contour my butt a bit better..... the thing is you can easily mess things up with a heat gun..... my armour is ABS.... I don't know if heat works on PVC? the progress you are making..... you will be a TK well beforehand me ... oh and I also had to buy some more glue the other day nice work

Thank you Sir Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have made a little bit more progress .... I have fitted the front cover strip and sniper knee plate to the left greave I'm quite chuffed with the result.. I have also continued to work on the the re-enforcing the return edges where the brackets will be fitted I'm also wanting to strap the ab and kidney pieces together. The rivets need to be placed 10mm in I think, as per the line on the picture below, but I'm not sure how far apart they should go? I'm guessing one is in the middle, but how far apart should the top one and bottom one be from the middle one? Thanks Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well I've messed up the outer cover strip on the left greave It's about as straight as a dogs hind leg... doh ... so off it came and the greaves were split and re-trimmed.... the raised bit at the front was a few mm too wide Stuck it all back together again.... Now the right greave.... I'm still fettling the sniper knee plate.... I think I'm almost there? I think I need to trim it to the line shown below? And the other side seems fine I've also trimmed the ab buttons, do these look ok? But the small button plate seems too big.... but I'm not to sure what, if, or where to trim anything else off ? Any advice? I think I have the drop boxes sorted? If they are ok do I glue them now or fit the back piece to the belt first and then glue on the front? Oh and before I cut out the rivet covers out for the ammo belt.... what size should they be? Next job is to trim down the thigh ammo belt thing and start to strap the torso together... then I can see how it all fits together and assess what I need to do with the thighs and if the torso needs shortening..... I'm getting there Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well I've trimmed the sniper knee plate, I'm still not too sure if it's ok or if I've messed it up.... what do you think? Made the cover strips for the greaves Stuck one on.... managed to break 5 magnets.... doh Hopefully I have enough left to hold it? Then sanded the an button plate, the small one Does that look ok now? Oh and sanded the external drop box, only one of them There is still a slight lip still there.... i guess it needs to be removed Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Christine, leather does stretch about 30% over time, this can be accelerated by wetting the leather as previously said and letting it dry with the blaster and some padding holstered. Also you can treat the leather with those wipes you can get for leather car upholstery, this will keep it nice and supple without it going hard. I use this method on my motorcycle leathers when new to get them to fit me better.... Glad you got to holster the blaster The above diagram is helpful.... thanks [emoji4] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Christine, I'm still working, rather slowly on my armour , been back and too to hospital with Charlie, so it's just a hour here and there, oh plus I went to the MotoGP at Silverstone, got this pic of my hero Rossi, he led the race until three laps from the end, but he came in third so a good result And me.... well you have to get into the spirit of things Now back to imperial duties..... Progress is slow, I've lost one of my torso brackets so tried to make one myself My vice is little like me. Lol I've started to install strips onto the return edge of the torso to help strengthen the brackets I've been trying to adjust the shape of the butt piece to fit me better, I'm getting better with the heat gun, however the return edge is a mess..... So I made some ABS paste and started to fill it in.... I will sand and refill / polish later I've tried the greaves on, I think the left leg is a bit wide at the bottom It may need adjusting? What do you think? Now I think I've messed up my sniper knee plate, I've trimmed a 10mm return edge around it only to realise today that it should taper from 10mm at the top to 15mm down the side to nothing where it touches the top of the greave.... I guess I will have to get another one.... doh... I believe it should be like this Ok few more questions.... Is this ok for the ab buttons? Or does it need to be trimmed more? And finally the drop boxes.... I've started to sand them square and they are currently 15mm thick but still have a slight return edge, I didn't want to take that off and mess these up also.... any ideas? Progress is slow but like good old British Rail..... I'm getting there Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great build Matt... love the Dalek and K9 and the storm trooper

Frank, what an amazing build, your son is going to have by far the best costume come Halloween ..... I'm struggling with my build at the moment.... actually I was looking for your build thread (for some more tips) and found this.... one word.... awesome

I would agree look at Crickets aka Christine, and fragarock aka Frank, their build threads are on FISD and worth a good read. I'm short too and I have trimmed the neck as well fragarock also did that. Do your research and as you know just cut a bit at a time. Armour can be made to look really good on us shorter troopers..... thankfully the Empire is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate against height.... or lack of it [emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks [emoji3]... it took a lot of attempts but it was worth it in the end. One thing for sure... they ain't coming undone [emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I know I've not been busy lately but I've managed to finish my magnetic closure system for the greaves.... it's been a long journey and I've taken them apart more times than I've had hot dinners .... but I've got there in the end..... I think These are the internal magnets on the greaves.... I think I may have used too many magnets as they stick together better than a sticky thing that gets stuck .... and I really have to pull them apart .... And stuck together..... Side on .... It seems to have taken ages... but I'm chuffed with the results ... So I'm on the home straight now.... we'll almost..... Just the thighs to complete, strap the torso and arms together,paint and fit the buttons, fit sniper knee plate and thigh ... I've forgot what it's called.... oh thigh ammo belt... I think.... oh and the main ammo belt I have that to do as well.... so I'm getting there..... Slowly slowly catch the monkey .... as they say..... Hopefully I will get there by Christmas..... which year ...... who knows ..... lol..... I originally thought I would be a TK by summer . ........delusional or what ..... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I realise it's an age since I've been in here, sorry, but life just seems to be getting in the way of Empire business...... I've been going too and frow with the greaves....... I've been struggling with the left greave only to find it fits the right keg better..... so the rear cover strips were taken off and re glued the opposite way around..... then I noticed it wasn't quite vertical.... doh .... so it came apart again...., The the magnets were showing..... yep.... apart again....... it seems ongoing around in circles..... Anyway not getting much time, just grabbing an hour here and there, hence slow progress. In between helping my Neice out with her son and looking after mum we have been out and about on the few nice days we have had over here that we can call summer... We went walking in Castleton That's the old Norman keep, then walked up Mam Tor, Black Tor and Lose Hill, also known as Loose Hill. Apparently in 623, the king of Northumbria fought a battle with the King of Wessex, the king of Wessex was on Win hill.... so I guess you know who won MamTor is on the left near the trees, black tor is in the middle and loose hill is next to that, win hill is the tiny pyramid shape hill on the horizon to the right Mam tor is known as the moving mountain.... back in silver jubilee year (1977) the mountain moved and destroyed the main road into the village, its never been repaired since We have been back to the lakes walking around Keswick and got soaked to the skin.... well it is summer It went from this to this in 10 minutes Anyway our skin is weatherproof Yesterday I managed to get out in the bike, the first time in two months Ok enough of this, back to imperial duties.... As I said I've had trouble with the greaves..... left has now become right and well I just seem to be going around in circles....... This is how it was looking as a left greave..... perfect until I put it on and it looked all twisted at the front..... sorry no pic So I took it apart and started afresh ....... Re positioning the inner magnets This is where they will go .... I need to recut the abs for their new location. For some reason my right shin / calf is smaller than my left so I could trim the old holes I had made out.... so it was a complete new start I marked where I wanted to make the cuts with the modelling knife which I scribed around the magnets I then cut the greave with the dremel Until all done I then glued the internal magnet strip onto the left side of the greave It's not fitting totally square as I need the greave to be a tad wider at the bottom Next it was onto trimming the right hand side of the greave to hold the external magnets l Once completed I taped the two parts together from the inside ..... I had placed the external magnets on top of the internal Ines so I could match both sides up. I covered the internal magnets with tape so the glue would not stick them both together And glued down the external cover strip..... sorry no picture.... doh And the finished product..... sadly..... not very good..... You can still see the magnets And a very poor job of gluing the cover strip on So it all came apart I cleaned it all up and made some spacers out of scrap abs, they don't look very good but they will be hidden inside the greave.... I'm hoping this will bring the magnets closer together and prevent them from being seen..... we will see .... if not it's back to the drawing board.... Internal cover strip stuck back on I know I'm going around in circles with this, but jeans to get it right, I want it to look good when I've finished. It's like the medieval cathedrals you see..... you think how did they do that..... the fact is you only see the finished product..... you don't see the mistakes they made during construction and the bits they tore down because they weren't right.... I know I'm going on again.... but hopefully , by sharing my mistakes...... it may help someone not to make the same mistakes as me in the future..... Will keep you posted on progress Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I messed up this post so tried to delete it... doh

Hi Steph, good luck with the build, us vertically challenged troopers will soon be outnumbering the taller troopers and lets face it, we can get into those small places occupied by the Ewok.... unlike our taller comrades. I have found Christine's, aka Cricket's build thread an inspiration together with Frank's aka Fragarock's build thread. My advice is trim a bit at a time, you can always cut more off later, it's hard to add it back if you trim too much..... E6000 glue is a godsend , I've glued and unglued my greaves more times than I can remember and they still are not quite right..... patience is a virtue...... Oh.... regarding the heat gun.... practice on scrap abs ..... I've almost messed up a few bits..... doh Good luck Stephen [emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Started to fit the magnetic fastenings to the rear of the left shin, whilst the pieces match up at the top I've left a gap at the bottom to make the greave fit over the boot better, this gap will be hidden with the external cover strip. I realise it's not screen accurate but it's the only way I could sort this without buying another greave, anyway we will see what it's like when finished, if I have to start again it's not the end of the world Internal magnetic strip Taped on the inside of the greave The magnets that will be fitted to the outer cover strip have been placed on top of the inner strip so I can trace their outline Recess marked Used the dremel to cut the recesses for the outer magnets, did top and bottom first then the rest in between All done, Repeat for the following side, these will be the recess hidden under the outer cover strip Glued the inner cover strip with the magnets on to the inside Decided to practice making a return edge with my heat sealing iron, I still need more practice but hay it's easier than using a normal iron Trimmed the drop nosed, sniper knee plate and ab buttons. I just scored the side of the drop boxes with the modelling knife and broke the excess off.... the thing is doing this when I first started this build, terrified me, now it's really easy..... I suppose I shouldn't get over confident I guess the lip showing in the next pic needs to be removed And finally my rough trimming bits Oh and I connected the right thigh together at the front Another step in the right direction I hope