QuartZ

Thanks! I am aiming for Centurion so I appreciate the feedback. As a matter of fact, since I see you call this out in a lot of build threads, care to take a look at my Ab Button Plates? These are trimmed and just taped into place from behind with blue painters tape. I think they match the reference in your "Quick Reference Guide" PDF pretty well. I don't plan to attach them just yet, I wanted them well trimmed and in the proper place so that I could judge the placement of my belt which I plan to work on next. So if these are good, I'll shoot for the top of the belt overlapping/touching the bottom button on the central Ab Plate. -Dana

I've been sick for the past few days, but I've slowly been working on my strapping and adjusting the fit of the abdomen/kidney/posterior pieces. I finalized the nylon straps and installed the painted split rivets in the left side: I fabricated the "Han-snap" elastic and popper and installed it using E6000. I've been iterating a lot on the fit of this area. As I was test fitting the assembly on me, I felt a bit uneasy about the right side seam and keeping everything aligned the way it should be. Wearing the belt certainly helps keep everything together, but the seam shifts a bit over time with movement. So, I've also added an extra optional nylon strap with Line 24 snaps that really keeps everything in place. It's tough to snap, but it really did help in my opinion. And I also installed the cod strap with the brass split rivet and washer: I also trimmed some return edges back in key areas after wearing this around the house and walking for a few minutes. Minor trimming, but already things are feeling and looking better. -Dana

Painting the TD tube is not necessary for approval (as far as I know). In my research here I found that people recommend it be a dark dark grey (not too dark and not too light) and that the thought is it may be matched to the Humbrol #5 color found on other areas of the armor/helmet. At least that's what I see too. So, I took it upon myself to run a little color experiment on mine in hopes of sharing some findings in case others are wondering what I was wondering. And that is - What looks close to Humbrol #5 in a spray paint form? -Dana

OK, the Thermal Detonator is done. Here's what I did to wrap it up. Even after letting the paint fully dry, I wanted to be absolutely confident in the finishes ability to withstand handling. So I gave it a few coats of Krylon ColorMaster - Gloss Acrylic Crystal Clear. I know this stuff. I've used it for years, and it works for me time after time. Then I used E6000 to glue the control panel on. My side caps are a really tight friction fit so I didn't bother adding any glue there. I added some rubber bands and some folded paper to the opposite side so that the rubber bands wouldn't be resting directly on the recently dried clear coat (just in case). Then I sanded the screw heads with 400 grit sandpaper, cleaned them off with acetone, and then hit them with 4 thin coats of Krylon ColorMaster - Semi-Gloss Black Once all of that set up and dried, I took the TD clips from @ukswrath and lined them up on the tube against the end caps and control panel. I used some painters tape to keep the clips in place while I drilled small pilot holes and screwed in the black screws. Below is the finished result: I am glad to wrap up something after having been away for so long. Go go go! -Dana

Just a quick post. Painted my TD tube, let it dry for a few hours and then removed the masking tape. That seemed to go well and the paint set up nice. I'll let it sit for a day or so to let the paint fully harden before mounting the caps and control panel. I think I'm going to prep the screws for black paint and then I'll move on to something else for a while. -Dana

Good to know, I didn't think so. I just know this hobby is a never ending quest to try and find accurate solutions and I thought this experiment could help the community in the future. I had everything on hand except Option 2 and Option 3. Small price to pay if it helps someone out down the road. -Dana

Thanks! Ok, so here's the results from my experiment to find spray paint options to match Humbrol #5 for my TD. I wanted to test several options recommended by other users here as well as see if there was anything else I could find that looked promising at my local hardware store. I grabbed a bunch of little PVC couplings at the store, sanded them, primed them with Krylon primer, and then applied different finishes to each. Here's what I tried: H = Humbrol #5 1 = Testors - 1923 Gunship Grey (FS 36118) 2 = General Paint & Manufacturing - Premium Decor - Slate Gray (PDS70) 3 = Krylon ColorMaxx - Gloss Smoke Grey (5539) 4 = Krylon ColorMaster - Gloss Acrylic Crystal Clear - (51301) sprayed directly over Krylon Primer Almost immediately, I noticed that paint Option 2 had a very similar hue to the Humbrol. Interesting! Option 3 was too light and Option 4 was too dark. So, I put those aside and wanted to show a comparison of just the 2 front runners (Options 1 and 2). I'm ignoring the fact that one is glossier than the other and just talking about the "color" or "hue" of the grey: I think that Option 1 is a bit more "cool" or blue/purple in hue than Option 2. Both are probably good choices for my application, but I'm leaning toward Option 2. But I've never heard of this paint and I don't know much about the quality it. So that has me a bit hesitant. Here's what the can looks like for anyone interested (note the cap DOES look darker than the paint. I almost didn't buy it in the store because the cap looked too dark): So just to recap, I think Option 2 is the most similar to Humbrol #5. I randomly found it at my local Ace Hardware Store (which used to be a True Value Hardware Store). I thought I would mention that detail because their product stock may vary from your local store due to the change in franchise. Here's the paint on Amazon if anyone else is interested: General Paint & Manufacturing - Premium Decor - Slate Gray (PDS70) https://www.amazon.com/General-Paint-Manufacturing-Decorative-360-Degree/dp/B000GPLXVE/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=slate+gray+spray+paint+premium+decor&qid=1577033531&sr=8-1 What do you guys think? -Dana

Wow! I put my armor build on hold for almost 2 years. Time flies and life certainly puts gets in the way sometimes, but it feels really good to be back. Quick... let's make some progress before I disappear again! So I jumped back in by starting my Thermal Detonator. I measured the Anovos tube, planned a cut that would give me the proper length with the caps on (I'm shooing for 7.25" overall length when assembled). I taped of the tube so I could sand down the ends to help get the caps on easier. See below: And here's a closeup of one of the ends where you can also tell that the edges have been rounded significantly: I also recently ordered and received some TD clips from @ukswrath which are beautifully made. Thanks a bunch for these! I thought I'd share a photo of an original Anovos clip (left) next to one of ukswrath's clips (right) so that you can appreciate the differences in accuracy. I've also finished trimming and sanding all of the TD plastic parts. I did a bit of hot water bath work to also stretch the caps (in addition to my sanding the tube). I've prepped the tube for paint and my next post will be about the particular gray color I'm going to use. I'm doing a bit of extra work (me as usual) to try and see what other paint options there are that come in a spray paint can and come close to the Humbrol 5 color that is said to be accurate. I'll be showing photos of 4 options compared to the Humbrol itself and picking one for my tube. So if you're interested in that topic, stay tuned. Thanks for having me back , -Dana

Thanks, I think real hardware is good if it's readily available and inexpensive. I think I'm going to go back and tweak a few things before I print this. Mostly how the lens rings are designed. I think I got a few things wrong. -Dana

Tonight, I whipped up a version of the M19 scope found on several blasters. I did it for a reason unrelated to the E-11, but I think it's used on some of those as well (my Hyperfirm seems to have one on it). Anyway, it was fun to create. I still need to add the text on the lens ring area. Oh, and I haven't tried printing it yet. Here's some angles: Most of the hole locations are just setup as impressions to be used post printing for getting proper drill placement. Some have countersink chamfers too (like the front 3 screws). I also left lips for lenses. The main body is hollow, it's built out of multiple pieces that fit together. Getting sleepy here... and I'm sure once I go to print one I'll find some things I want to improve. All in all, I'm happy with what I could bang out tonight. Enjoy, -Dana

I haven't been posting in this thread for almost a year! Well, I took a break from the blaster work and I've been working on the armor. Well, that's not entirely true. Before I took that break, I did create this 3D file for the receiver tube. Why? Well I'm going to look into getting a batch of them laser cut out of aluminum. I think that this version is really accurate (it's my third iteration from the ground up). It was very time consuming to pull all of the measurements from my Sterling parts. In fact, I now have 2 sets of demised Sterling parts so that I could compare dimensions across 2 samples to make sure I was getting this as close as possible: There's a few of my other bits mounted on there for reference just so I could check how some key parts lined up. Oh, and I'll probably have to close up the magazine feed hole (seen in the second image) if I want to have these laser cut. I don't want to be accused of producing a functioning machine gun receiver. There's a few more bits to tweak, then I'll start talking to some shops. Any how, no idea how long that will take, I just wanted to post this since I forgot. And, there's something else I worked on more recently... -Dana

Congrats! It can seem overwhelming...but it slow and you'll do fine. Enjoy the day! -Dana

I'm certainly no expert on repairs yet, but I imagine experienced builders will eventually get here and suggest either ABS paste or super glue to close up those shoulder cover cracks. You'll then have to do some sanding and polishing to get the repair to match the original surface. And in the second photo is the little white elastic strap/loop that is required for Centurion installed around the shoulder cover and back armor? Because that should help keep it down. Check out this thread: ukswrath's Anovos tutorial (shoulder cover elastic retaining strap) They look like this when installed (photo is copied from that thread link): Hope that helps, -Dana

I have finally been able to start putting the torso together. Here's where I started. I used 2" wide elastic to create these loops (similar to the loops that come with the Mr. No Stripes brackets). I felt that the loops had more rigidity than a single flat length of elastic while still remaining flexible under stress. So, I used the sewing machine to stitch one end and the turned it inside out like this: Then I punched holes for the corresponding snap pieces (still using Fasnap stainless snaps). Then a bit of hammering and I had some of these: Here's the back armor all attached using straps: A little note - I did create and install 2 straps using 2" wide nylon (they are pictured above but look SO similar to the elastic straps). These were used to connect the outer edges of the kidney to the posterior in an effort to help keep the posterior edges from flaring. Worked out well. -Dana

Alright, today I decided to do some little things. First I installed the "S" poppers in the abdominal plate: Here's that Centurion popper that faces the inside of the armor for strapping: Then I installed the same type of poopers on the posterior for the connection to the cod/abdominal armor: Posterior to cod poppers from the inside: Crossing stuff off the list! -Dana

From the beginning I knew I wanted to have the screws visible for cosmetic reasons. I also realized that if I ever wanted to try the bracket method I would be able to with this setup. I planned to use the snap plate + strap method mostly due to what I had heard about Anovos plastic and the potential stress on the return edges when using brackets. Ultimately, I can now switch between these two strapping methods if I chose. I did twice the work...yay! -Dana

And here's a quick drive-by post of the front snap plates I installed. I just had time this morning to remove the blue painters tape: -Dana

This morning marked the 24 hour threshold for all of the new nylon snap plates I glued to the back armor pieces. So, I was able to take all of the tape off and snapped this shot showing how it turned out. Looks good. Next step will be to sew up my elastic straps and install the corresponding snap parts: I also measured and glued snap plates like these into the Ab and Chest pieces. They are currently curing and will be all set tomorrow. -Dana

Agreed. -Dana

Oh man, what have we started! I hope it didn't bum them out too much! -Dana

Alright, I wanted to report back what I found when I got home. I removed the painters tape. The E6000 bond looks great: Flipping the test over to examine the "outside" it looked the same as this morning. However, I wanted to be sure so I grabbed a flashlight and shined it at the surface at an angle pretty much parallel with the surface and saw 2 very, very faint humps. It was the only thing I could think of that would reveal the truth. These imperfections are nearly invisible under normal lighting conditions without shining a flashlight at it. Sorry the photo isn't in focus, but hopefully you can see what I'm trying to show (there is something there): So, it appears that even with this method, with this combination of materials, and with no pressure applied.... it may be impossible to avoid the issue entirely. I think this result it the most acceptable to me, but I'm trying to be very critical and honest about what I report to the group on this issue. Because the truth is, if you really examine the surface, you will see that it did have an effect on the uniformity of the ABS. At least with this level of scrutiny, with the Anovos kit. I don't want anyone thinking that this is a guaranteed method for avoiding the phenomena entirely. That said, I think it's acceptable to me. I don't expect anyone to shine a flashlight at my armor in this manner. -Dana

It is weird. I'm conducting some more tests to see if the snap material matters (Tandy snaps are nickel plated). I'm also looking to see if the rigid nature of my ABS snap plates are contribute to any way to the deformation by trying a nylon strap instead and removing pretty much all pressure from the equation. I have some more on that below. The following is copied over from my build thread:

Ok, so last night I was able to make a test nylon snap plate with 2 Fasnap snaps installed. I used a soldering iron to make the holes with the assistance of one of my 3D printed snap plates as a template for hole placement. As an observation, I feel like the Fasnap snaps hammer together easier than the Tandy snaps. I'm not sure that's scientific...but I felt like it took less time per snap with the setting tool and hammer. Here's the test plate: I then covered the back side of the nylon webbing with E6000 glue and went all the way up to the edges of the snaps. I spread the glue evenly across the surface and I wasn't too careful around the snaps. In fact, I intentionally want there to be some glue that ends up on the snaps because that should be the "worst case scenario" if I'm going to do this for real on the armor later. Then I got another piece of scrap ABS armor trimming that I had prepped by sanding the patch where the snap was going and laid the snap plate in place. I secured it with some blue painters tape which keeps it from moving and applies very little downward force on the assembly. So this morning (not quite 12 hours later) I checked on the test. Here's the same piece of scrap flipped over. I don't see any warping or deformation. The area looks perfectly flat and none of the reflections warp around the locations of the snaps (those 2 parallel line-like features on the right hand side of the ABS were already there). So I'll check back on this piece tonight when I get home from work. I'm guessing it will look the same, but as @Harbinger mentioned his warping may have developed over some time, I just want to give it 24 hours to make a call. I plan to remove the tape and see how the bond turned out. If everything seems good and strong, I'll make up the rest of my torso snap plates like these and start gluing them into the armor late tonight. -Dana

Oh, and I also picked up some new 1" wide nylon webbing on Amazon. It cuts really nice and the edges can be melted really clean and uniformly with ease. The stuff that I was recycling from the Anovos kit is junk compared to this stuff. I'm going to go back and remake those 3 small connector straps for the side of the Ab/Kidney plate connections. Mainly I had bought this webbing so that I would have enough to try making flexible snap plates to see if they would work better on the Anovos armor and resolve the warping/hump issues I was getting with my 3D printed ABS snap plates: I also ordered and recently received a batch of Fasnap stainless steel Line 24 snaps at @ukswrath's suggestion. These are marine grade and supposedly should not have any corrosion or reaction issues to the E6000 glue so that may eliminate another factor. By switching all of these components up, it may be harder to tell which single aspect of my original attempt was the flaw. But the other thread on this issue will be where I talk more about that. And a comparison shot of both snap manufacturers, Tandy on the left and Fasnap on the right: I hope to put together a sample nylon plate with Fasnap snaps and glue it to a test piece of Anovos ABS scrap tonight. -Dana

Ahh, thanks! I keep forgetting that you have a bunch of different build threads that tackle different problems and show off different approaches! Here's a shot of the right shin rear seam without the tape holding it shut. This is the resting position of the two halves. You can also see the vertical offset I was talking about where the angle edge and upper return edge are offset from each other by about 3/4" or so. I'll report back with whatever I try next, -Dana