DroidHunter Posted April 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 I read that armor bites happen a lot here so I knocked the return edges way down. I have to trim more at the bottom as I probably overdid it at the top. But as you said, the top goes under the bell anyway. Just 2 quick progress pics: The forearms almost done (just have the cover strip setting up) and the thighs done in the front. I'm holding off on the back until I try the whole lower section on to see if I need to trim more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted April 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 More steady progress. I finished up the forearms, although I need to add some velcro and padding inside -- man, that right ATA forearm is big! Also got some solid work in on the biceps. Its amazing how snug they fit after seeing how roomy the forearms are. I had to leave some excess flat area on the biceps in order to get them to fit, and I do not have big bicpes. Going to have to knock down the slight return edge on the front of the forearms if Centurion is ever in the picture. As I don't have the funds for a blaster upgrade right now, I'm working towards EIB, but keeping Centurion in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted April 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Fist off I apologize the the lousy quality of these pictures. My cell phone is doing a lousy job. I know this has been asked before, but I cannot find a clear answer to the question. Can anybody help me figure out the proper alignment for the ATA kidney plate? Here are the two possible orientations: option 1: or option 2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tehcaveman Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 It has to align with your butt plate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tehcaveman Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted April 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) The side with the ridge in the mold edge that gets trimmed off is the bottom. I decided to go straight to Terrell (Mr. ATA himself) with this question. He told me that the edge with the raised ridge in the mold area that gets cut off is the bottom. You can see that ridge in my picture from above: Just above the blue line in this pic is the raised ridge line in the mold. That edge should sit against the butt plate, and so the kidney plate is upside down in this picture. The opposite edge has two "bumps" in it that look a bit like love handles. That edge is the upper edge, so the kidney should sit like this: I only share this since I got the information from the seller himself, and it might save others from the same confusion in the future. Edited April 17, 2014 by DroidHunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank4vt[TK] Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Thanks so much for the info on the kidney plate! That thing has been giving me fits!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted April 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 You and me both. Glad it helped somebody out! Still trucking along on my build, just haven't snapped many pics lately. Everything is done as far as gluing pieces together other than the backs of my thighs as I try to decide whether to cut more. However, shins, forearms, biceps are done. I cleaned up the chest, back, kidney plate, butt plate and shoulders this weekend, and marked off where the split rivets will go on the left side. I also made a run and grabbed some elastic from Joann's (1 inch, 2 inch and 3 inch black, 1 inch white and 1 1/2 for the shoulders -- until I can grab some 1 3/4 instead). Then, after finding out I have a Tandy Leather shop nearby, I picked up 2 sets of line 24 snaps. I still have to do my belt and add the ammo pack to my thigh, but I should be able to start strapping up soon. There's a local armor party on the 10th so I am hopeful to be just about finished after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted April 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 (edited) Working on my ab buttons. I used a pen cap to draw a circle in pencil, then painted free-hand. How do these look so far? Also, the smaller button plate migrated a little to the right as you look at it, while the glue set up. Does it look ok? Edited April 29, 2014 by DroidHunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The5thHorseman[TK] Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 Looks ok, you didn't make the mistake to oversize them . And the vertical buttons plate is good too. In fact the only thing a little off is the fact you have sanded the corners. They should have been kept at a 90° angle. But that's a common mistake, i did the same : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted April 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 I guess I did! Oh well, I can live with the result. Finished painting and I'm content with the final result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted May 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2014 Falling behind on posting up here. This has to be the world's slowest build. 8 months and counting -- although the end is only a couple of weeks away. I went to an armor party a week ago and picked up some good pointers on stuff. I manged to start putting snap plates inside the body, but ran into an issue when the female snap wasn't fitting over the riveted male snap plates. I have solved the issue now, but it slowed my progress. So here are a few pics of my progress over the last week or two: Right thigh ammo pack done with cap rivets. Plastic hand guards attached to rubber gloves. I will eventually upgrade to rubber, but this will suffice for now for EIB. BTW, Loctite 2-part plastic bonding glue works great for attaching velcro to rubber! Ammo belt done. I still need to add snaps to attach the whole thing to the ab, but the rest is done. The holster is attached with chicago screws (as permitted by the CRL). Rivet covers and drop boxes also done. My snap plate solution: A little strip od styrene between overlapping elastic makes it fit great over the riveted male snaps. Makes taking them on and off easier too. More to come..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazmosis[501st] Posted May 21, 2014 Report Share Posted May 21, 2014 Brilliant reinforcement of the elastic on the snap ends! I'm sure many troopers will be using that trick. Nice! I have a concern regarding two things: your button plates and your thigh pack. Your center button plate in particular looks big around the edges. Looking at the archive pic that Germain provided, you see the button plate is trimmed to that the stage it sits on is visible around it. yours looks like it actually hangs off that stage. It shouldn't at all. Double check the length on your thigh pack. It should end at the rear corner where your rivet point is, not go beyond it. You've done an outstanding job on your build so far! A real pleasure to watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted May 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2014 Thanks Steve, I really appreciate your comments. I wasn't sure on both of those points. The knee should be an easy fix. That's partially why I dropped the rivet a little more forward rather than equi-distant from the top and side. I can trim the back edge down a little cloder to the bend point on the thigh. I looked at a lot of build threads and it looked like many people had thigh ammo packs entending beyond the anchor points. I trimmed mine back but there is still some overlap -- though less than it would appear in the pics. The ab button plate is a little trickier. Should I Dremel it down? It is mounted with E6000, so I can probably get it off, though I have never done this. Any suggestions? And not that I'm looking for an easy way out, but would either/both of these issues affect eventual EIB status? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The5thHorseman[TK] Posted May 21, 2014 Report Share Posted May 21, 2014 You will find the e6000 really easy to remove by running a blade along the joint. And once one spot will begin to come off, the rest will follow very easily by just pulling the button plate away. And re-trimming it will also give you the chance to not sand the corners, so you're winning in both way by ungluing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazmosis[501st] Posted May 21, 2014 Report Share Posted May 21, 2014 Germain speaks wisely regarding the forgiveness of E6000. What will it effect? EIB not so much but Centurion for sure. I live by the words: "build it once, build it right". Shoot for the top! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted May 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2014 will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted June 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 Getting very close. Mostly just strapping and checking fit right now. Here's a quick shot after strapping on my shoulders. The chest looks askew, but its just the way I was standing. It actually sits quite straight. I have a two position strap for the shoulders, so I can pull them up about an inch if necessary. At this point, I have to do the thigh strapping (still debating on thigh garter versus snap to ab plate), add padding to the ridiculous ATA forearms, and put a fan in the bucket. Hopefully I'll be ready for some submission photos next week. Celebrating 10 years of married life this weekend so I have to put it away for a few days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted June 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 (edited) Had to take a short break, but now I'm back. I should wrap up my build this week, or next week at the latest. The biggest thing I had left to tackle was the thigh strapping dllemma. I had ideas for how to appoach it, but wasn't positive until I was walking through Dick's Sporting Goods and found a baseball belt. Its made of fairly rigid elastic that doesn't give too easily, it has a strap adjuster and a buckle. That way you can make it good and tight. Next I took some 3 inch strapping and sewed the ends over into loops. The loops just slip over the belt and drop down into the thighs. My thigh snap plates are setting up now so I should be able to get these measured out and fitted by tomorrow. Total cost of the strapping system was less than $15. I can add some plastic support strips, but so far, the belt doesn't seem to need it between the heavier quality of the belt elastic and the width of the leg straps. Edited June 11, 2014 by DroidHunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathen Viking Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Looking good. I'm in the process of trimming my armor and starting the assembly. I'm 5'4" so there will probably be a little more trimming than the average trooper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illusionz_09[TK] Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 great job so far! cant wait to see the finished product... makes me really eager to start my ATA build. Still on waiting list though. I should be starting my Hasbro conversion soon. (im going to disney this weekend lol) and my DD kit is on its way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted June 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 (edited) Thanks guys. I should have submission pics up within the week as I have finished my build, preliminarily anyway. Until I have the funds to update my blaster, I'll have to hold off on EIB status even though I built with that in mind. I still have to make the tweeks Gaz suggested earlier in my thread. But initial basic approval pics are on the way. As for the thigh harness, I ended up adding a pair of suspenders to counter-balance the pull from the thighs and it made a HUGE difference in having a secure fit. There is still some give as the straps, belt and suspenders are all elastic, but those thighs are not going anywhere! Edited June 30, 2014 by DroidHunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted July 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) Still need some work for EBB but that includes waiting for new blaster build. But basic approval pics submitted to garrison. My biceps slipped up a bit but they normally sit fine. Edited July 5, 2014 by DroidHunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted July 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted July 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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