FN1313

Alright. Gluing the first down for reference. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not all photos uploaded before your comment, what do you think with the cover strip photos now? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Alright question before I glue. How’s my cover strip looking. If this is good I will do the same with the rest and get to gluing. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here’s some shots I took to verify the fitting and comfort of the biceps over a sweatshirt. The sweatshirt would be a little thicker than the undersuit, so that’s good to see they fit and were comfortable in flexed positions. Especially more so should I choose to wear thermals in colder troop conditions. (Forgive the ambiance, It’s the only mirror I had access to at the time.) Enjoy my Mr. Olympia pose practice.

Some more progress on Biceps and Forearms added.

That escalated quickly. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

My experience with frog tape is I had bleeds. I personally haven’t found much difference between blue tape and frog tape. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just doing black on the inside won’t be enough to stop itch. I’d recommend hitting it up with 80, 100, 200, 400 sandpaper on the inside then use something like plastidip to coat the interior. That should help. It’s not fun work, but it is what I did with my armor when I built it. With the armor paint. Are you prepping it prior to painting? I ask because in its current form there’s lots of little pock marks and things that you’ll likely want to not have getting in the way of the paint process. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@Luciana, Great work so far. Do you have a separate thread on FISD forums for your build process? Just so I can follow there. If not then it might be good to move some of your build progress to a thread specific for that rather than your introduction thread as it will make things easier for members to follow and assist in your build.

Looks good. I’m sure you already checked but just in case you’ll want to make sure that the bicep fits sitting up a little higher and while flexing. Though from what I can see you have enough space in it no problem.

For those following along I’ve updated the Biceps and Forearms build sections with my progress in both areas. Thanks again for all the direction and commentary.

Alright so here’s what I plan to trim for that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Forearm question. For the wrist end does it have to be a flat plane cut ending? Or can there be some curvature for wrist movement? Here’s an image of what I’m wanting to know (it’s not the best, but I hope it makes sense what I mean) I also don’t intend too extreme, just wanted to know what is correct before proceeding further. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep I will be making sure of that. It’s going to be easier to do that with Dremel, so I will trim those back some more later with the Dremel and sanding down

FOREARMS Following the same score and snap work I did on the biceps previously I trimmed the return edge off the forearms. Aiming to get things to levels that I can eventually reach Centurion, I trimmed all the return edge off the wrist end and I also trimmed it off the elbow end because I really don’t like any level of armor bite. Alright progressed with more work on the forearms. First I did some measuring and cutting until I got them to the point that I had them ready for the inner cover strips. Before I installed those I wanted to be sure on the trimmed ends to make sure I had mobility but was also looking at accuracy. Thanks to those who commented at points in my build thread with details on how the forearms should be. Also my fellow Attaché here in Alpine Garrison giving me pointers. Before I trimmed I placed the halves together and held with tape You can see in these images the general idea I needed to correct. I had originally trimmed a slight curvature inward where my thumb side would be so I could move my wrist around more. However after the discussions and information shared I came to understand that the wrist side should be generally “flat”. So I marked inside the wrists where that line would be to make things a little more “flat” After using the Dremel to slice those areas off and sanding down I was able to get my forearms much improved. And yes they look much better too. Prior to this I had sized them with the idea that I wanted them to barely allow my hands through at the wrist. I don’t want them to have a big opening down there, but at the same time if I can’t get my hand through, then that’s no good either. I also wanted them to fit reasonably close to my arm with a little space for the undersuit, so I made sure that size wise they were not flopping around, but they weren’t right up around my skin everywhere. (The last picture here I took before I smoothed out and adjusted the elbow side of the armor to be prettier) At this point I’m just waiting to finish the inner cover strips of my biceps and then I can start the inner strips of the forearms. Finishing the whole inner cover strips of one forearm tonight, starting the other tonight I started the forearm outer cover strip process today, Followed the same methods highlighted in my bicep process as well as the cover strip bezel section in my build thread. I’m going to need to get some more clamps to make this process go faster as the four I have were completely needed this time around more than the magnets to hold it down on both sides BIggest difference here is the lengths on the forearm strips all vary unlike the biceps did, so I will also be cutting them out one at a time based on which strip I’m making to be sure to get the right length.

I’ve updated the section on Bicep armor, I prefer keeping each section of work in it’s own comment rather than having everything all over to hunt through. Makes it easier for those reading later to click on a hyperlink in the contents section and see the entire work done on that. I also started the forearms and will get the forearm section going now too. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Of course save all your scraps just in case you need abs paste Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Okay I’ve got the rear bicep extended bits trimmed off. So now I can size them on my arms some more and decide where the front biceps need trimming to line up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah I got one around here and may employ it on the bigger parts as well. Now to figure out how to fit and trim the biceps. I’ve seen a lot of example build threads, but can’t quite seem to find any direction on how to best go about fitting the biceps prior to doing the cover strips. From how these feel and my arm size I think I’m going to have to heat them and form them a little more curved, but I’ve also read that’s better to do after you’ve put them together. Any direction here?

BICEPS I decided to start with the biceps for trimming as thankfully they are fairly hidden by the shoulder bells. I don’t see a lot of need to trim the shoulder bells as they are very minimal return edge as is. But we will see how they work out later. I marked the inside edge with a pencil to better visualize where to score. Next I used an exacto blade to score the curve. Note for those following along, don’t use too much force. Generally you just need to score a number of times and each pass will cut a little deeper. I will admit Dave’s armor is thick plastic. Which is both great and a pain for the scoring. I also made some cuts outward to make it easier to snap off segments. Now to just do the work to remove (as you see I started above Here’s some comparison images of before and after score and snap Before After Side by side After sanding the rough edge (wear a respirator when sanding. This stuff not only has a smell, but it’s also probably not good to inhale.) Proceeding on to the back part of the bicep. Trimming and sanding Before and After Next came the dreaded first time sizing and cutting. To be honest this made me worry the most because I’ve always had armor either fit too tight or not tight at all unless I made it so I was very concerned of doing it right. After researching some I opted to have it sit comfortably, but not too tight I wanted some loose area for my undershirt and for the flexing. After multiple back and forth steps of tape-test size. I eventually got it. I followed Dave’s method in the video (will get link and attach later) as well as the links that @gmrhodes13 shared below in this thread. Ultimately I found what worked best was a combination method, but I started by sizing the area around my elbow first. I needed to make sure that the pieces could slide up and over my larger than most forearms as well as still look good and not oversized. Once I was able to determine a size for the lower opening I started adjusting the upper opening until it was the right circumference around my arm. Once the tape was set holding in the spot I wanted. I eyeballed the “middle cut” spot and marked it on the bicep back armor on the inside. Then I marked the outside where the front pieces overlapped (this to reconnect in the right place later). I then separated the parts and drew a line on the back interior connecting the two marks. I scored and snapped those pieces off. I reconnected the two pieces with tape and putting the front edges with where I had previously marked on the back exterior so it was in the same position. And this time I marked on the inside where the back edges were so I knew where to cut the line so they would join up together. After I removed, and cut one edge first. The lined things up so they were flush like this On the rear side the front still overlapped the back (this was to make sure that things would be looking right with the cut down the center and then to tape and make sure the sizing was correct. After verification I separated and then cut the final front section off. I then connected both edges side by side and taped From here I slid them in place again to do a flex test The fit and comfort was good. And gave some space for my arm while still not being so large it would slide or flop around. So then it was the start of the inner cover strips I have E600, some clamps and a bunch of high strength magnets (just following the trends) I used a section I had cut off and put two lines of glue down both sides of the inner bicep seam. I placed the inner strip and clamped down both ends. I then connected magnets over the rest of the seam to hold the full strip down. Now I wait 24 hours. In the meantime I did the same with the other bicep, but haven’t glued anything as I need to pick up some more clamps tomorrow. 24 hours down and here’s the results of the first internal cover strip There will be some sanding and cleanup to do on this internal strip later, but I was pleased with it’s outcome. I started the other side on this bicep as well as the back internal strip of the left bicep And now the inner cover strips are in place and holding everything together ready for outer strips I don’t have my undershirt just yet, but I will see about photos then. Outer cover strips are now glued on to the biceps. I didn’t get a full picture, but I do have some pictures suited up Next thing I did to finish up the work on bicep armor pre anything strapping related was build and install the shoulder strap hook. The build process can be found in this comment: Here’s the installation I just added some e6000 onto the bottom bend and then clamp it in place for 24 hours. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I tested the shoulders and yeah it feels much more correct with the more curvy part in front.

I didn’t unwrap everything just verified components were there. But here’s the pictures Love the quality of the components as well as the care Dave took to wrap and even provide a couple extra components that are known to be breakable. Also, praise him for truly providing armor that I won’t have to shim! (At least initial testing seems to indicate as such) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Happy BBB day everyone. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had someone submit this costume for approval a few months ago. There’s definitely enough work to make it approvable it’s almost better to just go buy from a new vendor. Unfortunately they don’t offer returns or refunds, so I highly recommend buyer beware with them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Usually I start any small areas with a small drill bit and create (if possible) two or more connect the dot drilling areas a bit inside of where the actual edges of the openings should be. (Example being red dots) Next I get a needle file, usually starting with a round one and I “connect the dots so to say. (Example being yellow lines) This will then open up a small hole area for you to do the progressive needle file work. I will switch to a flat edge or rectangular one when I approach sharp edges to give them that sharp angle and not a curved angle. It’s a bit of manual labor and may make your arm hurt, but at the least it’s plastic in small areas and not a nightmare of a fiberglass/resin helmet with large areas. Also note if you feel you are pushing too hard with the drill and don’t want to damage anything you can start drilling in reverse to make the initial drill entry and then turn it forward to drill through. I’ve never had issues with drilling through plastic, but just be mindful. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk