SpacesNoTabs

Thanks! I tried using sandpaper but I was using 120 and it didn't seem to take it off. Perhaps I need a lower grit or just need to work at it more.

That makes sense. When I measured the plastic, it seemed like it was 2mm. I get why it's harder to snap now.

Ha ha oh snap! Thanks guys, I'll try being a little more patient. Good to know I'm on the right track!

Tried making my first cover strips yesterday. The plastic was way more difficult to cut than I anticipated! I used a standard razor blade, and it probably took me about 15 minutes to get it scored enough to where I could snap it. Once I got it cut, it was a nice strip and I sanded a bit, though it still had some very slight edges on it where I cut. I was using 120-grit. The second one I tried was a disaster though! I was attempting to cut it, holding the steel ruler as a guide for the razor blade, but either the blade or the ruler would slip and bad things happened. Not sure if you can see crazy cut lines on the image below. So, three questions: 1) Should I be using a different type of blade for cutting the plastic or is it simply a time consuming process? 2) Any tips for making sure my cuts stay in line? 3) The images I post using imgur (after i have resized them) have pretty poor resolution. Any tips on posting better quality images?

One thing I noticed is that some of the armor pieces have a very slight raised edge or lip on the parts where they were trimmed for me. It's very subtle but I assume I should sand this down a bit to ensure the plastic is flat when I glue on the cover strips? See the top edge in the image below [still trying to figure out the best process for adding pics so the one below is pretty crappy resolution! I'll figure it out ]

Perfect! Thanks!

Hey all! I can't upload images. I posted one image, and apparently it was above the limit that I'm allowed to attach, so now it won't let me attach new ones. It tells me I can click a link to "Manage Attachments to free up space" but unfortunately, that site doesn't allow me to delete my existing attachments. What can I do? Thank you!

That would be awesome! I'll message you to set it up. I've got two little ones so things have been busy and I haven't even been able to start yet, but planning on it soon.

You guys are incredible! Thanks for the encouragement ☺️ ok, I can do this

I haven't even started yet and I'm already discouraged! Reading through other build threads, it just seems like getting these various pieces put together properly and making sure everything is aligned is going to be a challenge for me. I got the pre-trimmed kit but I imagine there will still need to be a little trim I need to do here and there. Yikes

Haha if you hadn't done it, I would have so thanks for taking the bullet!

Ha ha the panic set in long before the box arrived!!!! Gonna be a new challenge for me.

Hello there, bbb...

Yes!!! Congratulations!

Great tips and resources!

One question I have is regarding the interior of the helmet. I see that some people paint it, or maybe line it with some material. I like the idea of a nice coat of matte black on the inside. But, I'm concerned about fumes. Can anyone speak to painting their helmet and if they had to deal with the fumes or if those died down?

Perfect! We can screw up at the same time haha

Sadly, it's been only about a week since I ordered my trimmed armor kit from AP. So I have a while to wait. But I have been slowly accumulating various tools and parts I will need for assembly. I'm pretty nervous to be honest. With the help of all you amazing folk and the build threads here, I'm sure I'll cheer fine but I don't know how capable I am of such a project. I think I'm worried most about alignment issues. Like, not assembling the helmet correctly and it being all wanky. Or gluing the biceps wrong, trimming some off that I shouldn't (even though it's pre-trimmed), things like that. But, I'm stoked. I have wanted to do this for years. My wife thinks it's the dumbest thing she's ever heard of, but at the same time, it was her idea for me to do this for my upcoming birthday so I have a lot of support

Oh my goodness, I heard that you were all helpful but to have all those responses within a few hours blew me away Thanks for that and I can't wait to get started!

Hey all, first time poster. Today I ordered an AP armor kit. Super stoked. It's going to be several weeks until it arrives but I'm trying to get as ready as I can. I'm not certain how well I will do at assembling this armor as it's definitely new for me. One concern I already have is I'm having a difficult time finding YouTube videos or build threads specifically for AP armor. It makes me worry that maybe I should have chosen a different vendor if you all are primarily using other ones! Or, perhaps building the armor is roughly the same no matter who supplies it. All that to say, if anyone can point me to some good threads or videos for AP armor, or simply encourage me that I don't have to focus too specifically on my armor supplier, that would be helpful. I'm crazy excited to build my suit but incredibly intimidated at the process! Thanks in advance