kimu[TK] Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 hi everyone! i've been meaning to post about my AM build for some time now, but with limited hours to work on it (aka: 2 young children and a f/t job!), i've been spending my precious spare time trying to complete my suit in time for an upcoming local troop. anyway, had some time tonight so taking advantage of this rare break in the space-time continuum to at least start this thread! here we go... i consider myself very fortunate to live nearby to the master-builder panda, who has been incredibly helpful in helping me make my decisions about everything from trooping to the actual build so far. after some research and getting some quotes, i decided on an AM kit. it seemed to be the best choice for my build (5'10" and 135lbs). that, and the fact that panda pointed this large gun at my head. just kidding. everyone on the forum has been so welcoming and willing to help, it's the community aspect of this thing that i'm really starting to enjoy as much as putting this suit together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 (edited) i received my box pretty soon after ordering, complete with boots as well. i also tried to get ahead of things and ordered my neck seal, holster, aker voice amp and doopydoos mod kit online around the same time. i stopped by the local wal-mart and got my e-11, undersuit top and bottom, gloves, and gathered my tools which included e6000, plastic weld, spring clamps, lexan scissors (glad i got this and not the cheaper brands, as it's been integral in the build!). the ATA helmet kit was ordered a little later. Edited December 5, 2010 by kimu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quebectrooper Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 Vancouver what a nice place! You're lucky to be near Panda the legend you can just go see him for help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 thanks pat! go nordiques! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 the torso parts were first to get put together, with help from panda. i then started work on the biceps and arms, at first using plastic weld but then using more e6000 especially with the larger pieces, as i found i wasn't quite quick enough to get the pieces together with the liquid stuff. having spring clamps and rare earth magnets helped secure the bond after each assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jedislayer5000 Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 awesome, were basically the exact same size lol im 5'10" 130 Lbs, and my AM kit will be arriving in a few days haha, ill be posting my build as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Femtrooper Julie[501st] Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 Looks like you are offto a great start! Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 thanks brandon and julie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 working on the arms was good preparation for the shins, which needed quite a bit of excess trimming given my size. i reinforced each seam with inside strips before adding a cover strip on the outsides. the outside shin backs just had one 25mm cover strip which i then attached velcro to for easy opening/closing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandatrooper[TK] Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 You're lucky to be skinny enough that the rear shin ridges could be completely cut off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 haha, i actually wish i had a few more pounds but i guess i won't complain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 here's some shots of the thighs being assembled... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 and here's the front buttons being painted and then attached onto the chest box and side strip. panda devised a handy way of holding the buttons on a paint stir stick, which made it really easy to sand, prime and paint each of the buttons... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 i've painted the rivets white now, and panda has also been helping create new returns on the trimmed thighs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 (edited) ok, finally have some time to catch up on posting build pics! with the suit pretty much done, i started work on the ATA helmet, which had actually arrived a little while ago. here's some pics of that process, including the shaving of the teeth which i started by using my dremel, but then switched to my small file set to get more precise edges and corners. ears were tricky and took quite a bit of back and forth to get a decent fit, and i ended up using a combination of the dremel and sandpaper to get it done. Edited December 20, 2010 by kimu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 (edited) after the initial trimming on the lid and shaving out the teeth, panda helped me rivet together, after which i started to sand, then add two coats of white primer, followed by three coats of white (all krylon paint). decided to paint the ears separately. temperatures were pretty cold here the week i was painting in the garage (0-10 degrees celsius), so i had a small space heater warming up the corner of the garage i was in, my spray cans warming up in a cocktail shaker with hot water, and a hair dryer to warm up the lid moments before painting. that and a lot of shaking the can between applications! Edited December 20, 2010 by kimu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 the paint turned out pretty good considering the less than ideal environment, and i started on the lid details including painting the teeth (testors 1138) and decals. hovi mics were lightly sanded, and then sprayed with krylon black. the vocoder was hand painted using a bit of testors flat black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 (edited) for my blaster, i went with the hasbro e-11 from our local wal-mart. i ordered the doopydoos resin kit, and used krylon grey primer and black. did lots of sanding to get all the unwanted details off before adding the primer coats. here's the progression of that conversion... Edited December 20, 2010 by kimu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 and finally, here's everything together... a few of the submission pics that were used for approval last week into the 501st, wuhoo! TK-5929 reporting for duty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogueTrooper[TK] Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 Good work kimu on your build Now get out there, and make those Rebel Scum PAY!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandatrooper[TK] Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 Looking good! Did you trim the return from the bottom edges of the shins to lower the shins? I didn't look during the troop a couple days ago. We'll have to take some updated pics after you dial in the fit and upgrade the suspenders. Then you can apply for EIB!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 haha! thanks tom! appreciate the kind words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimu[TK] Posted December 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 thanks terry! yes, i did actually, and it did help lower them enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkrestonva[TK] Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 Looks really good - great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardHitDrummer Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 hi everyone! i've been meaning to post about my AM build for some time now, but with limited hours to work on it (aka: 2 young children and a f/t job!), i've been spending my precious spare time trying to complete my suit in time for an upcoming local troop. anyway, had some time tonight so taking advantage of this rare break in the space-time continuum to at least start this thread! here we go... i consider myself very fortunate to live nearby to the master-builder panda, who has been incredibly helpful in helping me make my decisions about everything from trooping to the actual build so far. after some research and getting some quotes, i decided on an AM kit. it seemed to be the best choice for my build (5'10" and 135lbs). that, and the fact that panda pointed this large gun at my head. just kidding. everyone on the forum has been so welcoming and willing to help, it's the community aspect of this thing that i'm really starting to enjoy as much as putting this suit together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.