MightyAtom

Awesome, thanks for the advice. I got this as a 3D kit from Premier Props, on Etsy. https://etsy.me/35O2nhi I'm actually modifying the scope rail and moving the Hengstler counter forwards to get it to look a little more compact. I could potentially extend the scope rail as well. Thanks again! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

I'm after some feedback on my E-11 - about the coils running from the power cylinders to the Hengstler counter. I've found there are two sightings of this feature in ANH, but the majority of blasters used don't have them. I'm currently modifying a few details on the E-11, so I figure I'll do everything if I need to. Can the coils stay, or should I remove them to reach L2/L3?

That's awesome. I do recall seeing your other comment as well. Thanks for reminding me. Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Thanks for the heads up. This piece was pre-drilled. I'll measure it up and see how it comes in. Sent from my Imperial Communicator

I'm making progress on the thighs now, but have a question about the right thigh ammo pack. It's attached quite firmly, but still moves and bit. Is there a preferred way of fastening this to the thigh? Can I just use a dab of E6000? Sent from my Imperial Communicator

I did as@gmrhodes13 suggests here: glued small tabs inside the edges. It worked a treat. However, to allow for the tension between pieces, I also glued internal strips to get the thighs together first, then the cover strips, then the inside tab to bring the edges together, before finally applying ABS paste. Bear in mind, if you have mobility cuts on the rear, this will remove some of the misaligned edges anyway, so don't stress too much. I did this one strip at a time and waited two days for the E6000 to cure to ensure the bond would take the tension of the next stage. So, glue one internal strip to each half, wait two days; now glue both sides together, one side at a time to allow for tension, wait two days between each side; then glue cover strips outside, wait two days; now glue the tab on the inside edge to align the edges - the thigh joins should be rock solid by now and take the strain of the edge being clamped to bring them together. All up, it has taken me weeks to build the thighs, but I know they are rock solid. Here's the tab I glued inside the thigh edge. I used two strong clamps and kept them on for two days while it cured. Sent from my Imperial Communicator

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Is it going too far to import dust from Tunisia for that "authentic" look? Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Ha! Well, I did see a job vacancy at MEPD... Sent from my Imperial Communicator

A recent Amazon purchase arrived today, so now I have something to read while I wait for the ABS paste to melt. Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Do the handguards a have canvas embedded in the latex? Are they the AP latex handguards or Joseph's? The ones (Joseph's) I glued last week with Zap-RT have canvas stuck to the latex and adhered to my gloves ok (see pics), but I don't know if RT will adhere directly to latex (I got both ABS and latex handguards with the AP kit). I also did a repair job with a little white silicon glue on another set of gloves where the handguard (Joseph's) had lifted from the canvas, but the canvas was still stuck to the glove (with RT), which worked well. Not sure if any of this helps, but it seems to be a matter of using a 'middle-man' between the latex handguard and the glove, with potentially two different glues. Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Speaking of the garter, here's the design I put together. I've used 50mm nylon, elastic and velcro to make straps that can adjust at the top (velcro), stretch a little in the middle and then fix to the inside top of the thighs with snaps. The belt is a military-style web belt off eBay. Finished strap at the top; cut pieces at the bottom ready to sew. Both straps sewn and ready to fit. Fitted to the belt. The final belt and straps, with snaps fitted and snap plates ready to glue inside thighs.

It feels like I'm on the home straight now. Gluing the thighs is taking a little time, owing to the differences in edges between each half. I had to rip off a cover strip and re-glue because it rode up slightly, despite all the magnets and clamps - SERENITY NOW! I've marked up the tops of the thighs with trim marks, in line with ANH stunt gloriously random thigh tops, but I'll do a fit test with the garter I made before making any cuts. In the meantime, I've glued the bra hook elastics into the grieves. I thought I'd do a strength test first on three glues to work out the best for the job. I figure the elastics will be fine once the grieves are on, but will stretch a lot when fitting and taking off. I glued elastic to a piece of ABS scrap with: contact adhesive (Kwik Grip, in Australia), Zap-RT glue (a CA gluer made for rubber tyres) and E6000. You'll never guess what happened next! After two days of curing... the winner is Zap-RT! The E6000 came off with a generous tug; the contact adhesive took more force to pull away; but by far the Zap-RT took some real force to remove - more than I would ever need to pull the elastic and fix the hook in place. Incidentally, I used the Zap-RT last week to make some new gloves (because why not) and the outcome is great I have another pair of Joseph's hand guards on the first set of gloves I made, but the latex guard started to lift (the fabric remained stuck to the glove with RT). A few dabs of white silicon and the guard is now sealed closed again.

For the glory of the Empire! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Sure do! Tested it last night. I shopped around and found the highest quality snaps I could; they're as strong as I could find. Sent from my Imperial Communicator

As per advice given to me in the above posts, I made two new holes and to lower the holster a little to yield a 2.5cm gap. I've also used a rivet and snap combination to attach the holster, so I can remove it when/if needed (which also means I could use it on another TK build in the future and swap back, etc). Thanks to everyone who chimed in with advice!

Awesome, thanks for the advice, Mark. [emoji16] Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Alright, well that's all music to my ears. I was building the courage to remove the sniper plate and start over, but I'll belay those thoughts and move on to finishing my belt instead. Thanks, all! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Next query: it wouldn't be a TK build thread without a sniper plate question! Over the course of about 8 days I: trimmed and tidied the sniper plate; gave it a hot water bath to mildly bend the sides; glued the middle in place and waited a few days; glued the right side and waited a few days; then glued the left side and waited a few days; HOWEVER, upon glueing the left side, the sniper plate angled up a little and the bottom lifted a little from the greave. From the side it looks ok to me. A view of the inside from the top also shows the plate glued snugly to the greave, but looking up from the bottom now shows a large gap and glue that has lifted. So, should I remove and try to re-glue for a more snug fit, or does it look ok?

Almost finished the greaves now, but I have a query about the closure at the back. I've opted to use bra clips and elastic, ergo there won't be velcro to 'seal' the pieces together. As they are now, both greaves have a gap that bulges around the centre when they are brought together and I'm not sure elastic will be strong enough to reduce this - see areas marked in red here: My question is: can I heat the offending half and massage the gaps closed, or should I not worry about it?

Very true!

Ah, this is great info, thank you. I hadn't seen your update thread there - excellent! I do like the idea of snaps to remove in windy conditions, as you say. I'll give it some thought and plan my attack. Cheers!

Hey folks, I've made some progress on my belt and am now looking at the holster placement. From the updated Billgram it suggests the distance from the bottom of the belt to the top of the holster is between 2.5cm and 6.35cm, however the current location of the holes in the belt itself will leave the holster to sit around 1.6cm below the belt, if I use the holes that came in the belt - make sense? So, my question is, can I just use the existing holes in the holster tabs and let it hang short, or should I make new holes in the holster tabs to get it hanging 2.5cm> below the bottom of the belt? Also, I've been looking over the belt and holster images in the gallery section and it appears (RS suit) that pop rivets are used to fix the holster tabs to the belt. Is this still the case? I've seen in a number of EIB and Centurion applications that many people use Chicago screws. If it is the latter, are there specs on sizing?

My two cents: give those shoulder bridges a couple of days to cure because of the wide area between the two pieces that will off-gas the glue solvent slower. I made the mistake of not allowing enough time and the bridges came unstuck. On the second attempt I let it cure for three days before removing clamps. Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Ha! Ah, yes, Aus Post have played a huge role in letting my glue cure for days while I wait for a spare part or two. Sent from my Imperial Communicator