Zachg56
-
Posts
26 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Articles
Media Demo
Posts posted by Zachg56
-
-
Alright drop boxes have been attached, rear plate attached to the kidney plate, so everything is in order asides from the button plates which I am currently waiting to come in.
For the holster, how far up can the chicago screws/holes be where they attach the holster to the belt? About one to two inches would you say?
I know that there should be an inch gap between the holster itself and the belt, but not the screws themselves
-
As long as the clips are about 1 inch wide they'll be EIB/Centurion approved. I believe screen-accurate clips are 1 1/8" wide. Jesse sells really nice aluminum ones. As far as the tote, check what dimensions your airline allows then look for the armor bin. I've never flown my armor but I would imagine a hard plastic exterior would work best and be sure to pad the armor very well. There are a lot of tote options out there. Go with whatever works for you.
The contico 23 gallon storage locker is airline capable for most flights in case anyone is wondering. 61 inches total
-
Yes, those are the tandy leather clips I posted about. The clips aren't the correct width so if you're going for super accuracy they won't work. 1 inch between holster and belt is about right. I've seen it vary so it's not set as far as I'm concerned.
I carry my armor in a contico storage trunk from the container store (walmart may still sell them). The trunk has a lock hole so you can secure it with a combination lock. It'll only fit the body armor. I carry my helmet in a motorcycle bag. Some people use a hard cover golf trunk as well. Not sure if the dimensions would be allowed. You'll have to check with the airport.
My back plate was angled like that as well. I adjust the top straps a bit and tightened the left side suspenders. It's not a big deal right now. You still have more work ahead. Keep going.
I see...I might end up having to adjust the top straps as well...and tighten the suspenders...that seems like the best idea.
Would those Tandy Leather clips are still EIB acceptable though?
SO you recommend using the contico storage locker as a storage unit for airplane travel? If it is not acceptable...what else would you recommend I use? I'm tempted to use an old dive back that has decent siding...but then again knowing how rough they are with luggage
-
Current pictures before adding the holster, rear plate, drop boxes, and buttons...
yeah I know the back plate and everything else is at an angle, velcroed it wrong before putting it on, didn't realize the pictures wear being taken then (easy adjustments yaaay), but you guys think it's workable once I get the soft straps inside of it? Not too small not too big in certain areas?
-
Here's a good question....I plan on going to AX this year, but I've been told it's rather expensive to take the giant chestbox, the STanley Toolbox everyone seems to carry their armor in) along to hold everything in. Any ideas on what to use suitcase-wise as well as how I should store the armor in the suitcase(s)?
Before I forget...for EIB, the holster loop has to have a 1 inch gap between the holster and the belt when attaching the two together correct?
-
On 6/2/2011 at 1:19 PM, TrooperTim said:
Jesse sells clips here on the forum, which I use and look great. Tandy Leather sells a Belt/Holster spring clip that's close in width. Banker's clips are close in width but a little too narrow. You could buy some aluminum strips off ebay and bend them to shape like Stukatrooper: ====
I take it the Tandy Leather clip is this one right here?
-------------
-
I see....well that solves one question that was bugging me
Now the 1 inch wide metal clips for the o2 cylinder...where exactly can I find those? I tried looking for some at Home Depot and Lowe's...couldn't find any in either place
-
On 6/1/2011 at 2:47 PM, TrooperTim said:
Zach,
I own an AP suit. I personally used snaps for almost everything, with a few areas of velcro. I used Tony Barnett's snap strapping. http://www.tonybarnett.plus.com/snaps.html Glue and/or score the plastic where you will be gluing fabric. A rough surface provides better glue adhesion.
For the ab/kidney connection I used velcro on the right side to close that gap. I combined 2 strips of velcro to make one giant velcro plate. Be sure the soft velcro faces your under suit. I used snaps/elastic strips for the left ab/kidney connection.
It shouldn't be difficult to attach the drop boxes even though the belt is already riveted. Just superglue the boxes using a white elastic strap. If you glue them to the ab they may hang oddly, but it probably won't be too noticeable.
The 3 white boxes on the belt are white plastic squares with a round extrusion. Think, a square almond joy candy bar.
Y-Strap? Buy suspenders or sew one from 2 elastic strips. Sewing isn't difficult. Give it a go. I'm not sure what "upper leg overlap edge" refers to.
I found a pair of elastic suspenders from Meijers that will work so I am good in that area of things.
The 'upper leg overlap' I'm refereing to is where the two parts are connected together that you see in the front. Here I'll show a current image that has my old torso in it. And yeah, I'm skinny as hell in that FX torso.
----------
-
Better question, where should the upper leg overlap edge (where the two parts are joined together), line up with the belt section? Should it line up to be in between the two outer boxes or closer to the middle?
Also, does anyone know where I can get a Y-strap of sorts? I'm thinking of using that as a suspension system.
-
K k....now here's a good question, since there is no gap, should I use a minimalistic approach for elastic strapping to just attach the two plates together similar to the rear/kidney straps or, use a more sensible approach and create actual straps for each side?
-
I just noticed that the drop boxes have to be attached to the out ends of the belt front, this may be a bit of a problem for me to do since the belt is riveted onto the ab plate already, would it be okay to attach it to the ab plate area behind the belt? Essentially they would be floating in the same place, only be attached to the ab instead of the belt itself.
Also, I noticed that for EIB standards, there are 3 white boxes that are supposed to be on the belt itself. Are those essentially white plastic squares glued/cemented on or something else entirely?
Edit: I had some help in order to see how big the gap is while wearing the black undersuit and TKrestonva, you were right, I don't need the shims. There literally is no gap between the two plates (ok maybe like 1-2 mm), so I bought shims which will be used for other purposes now...I'm currently thinking of using two elastic straps on each side (a top and bottom per se) to attach the plates together. Or would you recommend I do something different?
-
You could trim down the return edge on the back plate and a bit on the front section as well. The AP trim lines leave a thick return edge. That is what i did on my AP (also a skinny guy) and i have no gap at all now.
You can make snap attachments with webbing. Just put the snap through a piece of webbing and then glue that down. Not as strong, but works in a pinch.
I might keep what little return edge that there is...I don't have the tools on hand to make a smooth cut in order to get rid of the edge, as well as the fact that I find it helps me line things up.
So no need to sand where I glue then? Just glue and clamp down huh?
-
Do you recommend that I sand the area that I will glue the fabric used for snaps?
I currently do not have any white plastics laying around at the moment, not to mention the fact I feel safer working around fabric materials, but the links provided say nothing about whether this is necessary or not.
-
It would be better if an AP owner chimed in, but it doesn't seem necessary to attach the butt plate prior to aligning the ab and kidney. Just make sure the top of the ab plate is lined up with the top of the kidney plate. So in your photos, it looks like you need to either pull the ab plate up or push the kidney plate down a little bit.
Funny how the links don't work, and yet the directions do, but the forumn topics don't seem to exist. Should I use a ruler to make sure that the ab and kidney plates are level?
if there turns out not to be a gap while wearing an undersuit or to shorten the gap, would bending the kidney plate be a good idea or bad idea? Or would it just bend naturally from the straps?
Do you recommend sanding the area where glued fabric would be placed on, or does it not really matter?
EDIT: Is the an AP owner in the theater? (Sorry couldn't resist quoting bugs bunny)
-
On 5/22/2011 at 5:16 AM, tkrestonva said:
Just use some blue painters tape to hold everything together while you get it aligned, then once you get it sorted install a permanent strapping system.
---
As far as the six side rivets go, "brads", i.e. paper clips - you can get them from any office supply store - are considered more accurate than pop rivets. Regardless, they are not required for either basic 501st acceptance or Expert Infantry. They are, however, required for Centurion.
-----
Thought so...I was starting to wonder why the tutorials and the reqs seemed different at first.
Now do you recommand that I attach the butt plate to the kidney plate before I do the alignment stuff or wait till the alignment is done. Also, how far of a gap goes between the rear plate and the kidney plate usually?
By the way the first to links don't seem to work
-
Get your torso lined up such that the gap is equal on both sides, then measure the gap. If it's less than 1/2 inch, you're fine.
Although by the looks of it I'm thinking you'll be fine without shims. Especially considering that you're wearing a t-shirt as opposed to your undersuit - and a tight undersuit will help to reduce your circumference.
I see....As a rough strap system in order to line up the gap lined up, I'm thinking of using a quick velcro system using four equal elastic straps, would that help? Then would it be better to use snaps again, or considering how skinny I am, use a better velcro system?
Also will I need the 6 rivets by any chance or is that not neccessary? This is both for EIB as well as regular acceptance
-
On 5/16/2011 at 2:52 AM, firebladejedi said:
AP can be strapped together in such a way you won't need to use suspenders for the torso, just strap them to the next part.
Use elastic everywhere even on the legs, nylon has no play which means when you move armour parts ping off!!
Understood Fire...
Next question: I currently can't tell if I actually need shims or not, because w/o any straps what so ever, this is what the ab plate/kidney section sides look like. Keep note that they may have shifted a little bit (causing one side to be bigger and shrinking the other) but this is the best picutres I could get while minimizing the amount of shift. If I do not need the shims, should I connect with black/white elastic or some other method?
-
Always use elastic for strapping - nylon webbing has no give and is less than ideal for trooping.
Wait for everything to arrive and if you need any help be sure to ask first, act later.
PS I would use snaps - again Velcro is prone to coming undone.
I see...and for the suspenders? Should I use elastic as well or go with nylon for that? I'm also thinking of having them cross each other in the middle so they wrap around like an X....good idea or no?
-
On 5/12/2011 at 1:33 PM, pandatrooper said:
The Imperial Reception Center has lots of general armor info and also has good examples of torsos by Stukatrooper and Firebladejedi. Click on the links in the article.
---
That helps me quite a bit, thank you for that Panda...
Hmm....looks like I should wait for the shims and ab button plate to be shipped before I start anything... not to mention the fact that I'll need an extra set of hands to make sure that the ab and kidney plates are correctly sized/placed for attachment
-
take a close look at the first centurion build.
also rick 330 has good photos of the inside of how armor should look.
Where would I find that centurion build? I cant seem to find it in the forums....Or maybe I'm just looking in the wrong spots
-
So I just received a package containing most of the parts required to build the torso section of the TK armor. I have to say I'm pretty amazed at the scale difference between AP and FX armor...
All things considered, seeing as to how I have a fair idea on what to do, I would like to have some suggestions or advice on whether my current idea on how to set everything up is good or if there is a better way to do it.
For the AB plate to back plate, I'm thinking of having two elastic straps running across from each side using velcro as the connection source. Considering how skinny I am, I don't know whether this is a good idea or if I should go with snaps with nylon strapping instead. What do you guys think?
Second, for the AB plate to belt boxes and upper leg pieces, where exactly do I put the strap placement-wise from the AB plate itself? I know full well they go on the inside, but I don't exactly know if they are placed closer to the middle or the sides, so I'm a little stumped on that.
Also, what size should I look for in terms of strapping length and width?
Building a new Torso
in Assembly, Mods, and Painting
Posted
SO how does this look?
Okay, Building questions are all done and over with seeing as how there is nothing left to work on. I have 2 final transportation questions. Seeing as how I am going on a plane to Anime Expo, and as how the blaster is a somewhat essential part of the costume, do you guys recommend that I do or do not bring t he blaster with me on the plane (which would be stored along side the rest of the costume) If you do recommend it, what exactly is the process of making sure it's safe for transportation and so I don't end up in jail because of a crazed TSA Agent?
EDIT: I've been told that ab button decals/stickers aren't acceptable anymore, is this true?