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Khazid's ANH Stunt - MTK - 1st Build


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Introduction

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Yes, the time has come. With my E-11 now finished, I am ready to start putting together my armor.

 

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the FISD community as a whole. Since November of 2014, I have read so many builds, tutorials, and EI applications (EIB & Centurion) that I just cannot keep them straight enough to mention anyone specific. As my build progresses, if there is a technique/process that I made note of that member, I will be sure to give credit where it is due. However; if I miss anyone, it is not intentional. Troopers helping troopers, indeed!

 

After opening the box, I laid everything all out on the floor. I only noticed once I was packing it back up to take to my workshop (re: garage) that I had mixed up my forearm pieces. You’ll notice that I have both outer shells paired up, and the inner shells paired up. I better not do that during the build, or I will be prying pieces apart! LOL

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The bucket even comes with the Makers’s Mark, I had not anticipated seeing this as other MTK bucket’s I have seen from my squad mates didn’t have this. A very cool addition to the line, so I will need to make sure not to cover it up when I go to work with the bucket interior.

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I am going to document my build using the same flow that was used in my E-11. I am asking for all critiques, comments, suggestions, advice. You name it, dump it on me. It is my first build, but don’t hold back as I want shoot for Centurion status.

 

So the adventure begins…..

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Resources

There are so many good resources here on the FISD to use in your builds. I will admit it is overwhelming to someone new. It took me quite some time to just getting used to navigating the various sub forums to find the information. And the search tool…well, enough is said about that ;)

 

However; here are some highlights of what I used to build my “TK BUILD ENCYCLOPEDIAâ€.  I keep lots of print outs of these references in a binder in my work area. Some are bookmarked in my phone so I can pull up the pictures and zoom as needed to pick out the details.

501st CRL – First and foremost you need to know where you are going. For me, that meant the ANH Stunt CRL’s. I am going to do everything in my power to build to Centurion (Level 3) standards.

Various Armor -- I used this to decide on my armor type. I am still on the waiting list for an ATA kit, which I will more than likely make a TD now. I switched it up to MTK earlier this year. More on that later.

How to Join the 501st  -- This is a newer thread, but as soon as it came up I found it extremely helpful. Knowing what to do once I finish this build and when to take which step was very nice to have in one place.

Supply List -- A great starting point for what will be needed. I used this specifically to set up a budget on getting all my parts gathered up.

TK Resource Thread -- The list is a little out dated, but again it gave me a solid starting point on where to look.

Photo References -- I used this a lot for my E-11 and will imagine I will do the same for this build.

Tutorial Index -- This was used to resource some of my book, and is still a Favorite in all the devices I use to access the FISD.

Neckseal Instructions - Terry’s tutorial is amazing, it is how I made mine.

Build Threads – I have four different build threads printed out and in my binder. Sadly, the only one that I kept the information on is Terry’s TD that is on here. I am not going to link it, as there are plenty of other solid build threads to use. The community has such a wealth of good builders; almost any thread you open will have what you need. I have quite the standard to live up to with this one here.

Trooperbay Video’s -- I know, it is a little hard to put digital media into a printed book. However; Mike’s videos are filled with techniques that I see constantly used here in the builds. I have bookmarked his videos in my phone’s YouTube app. When I need something, I know right where to go. Build book will have the pictures; the videos will help me with hands on technique.

 

 

Lastly, I remember reading (also hearing in my head) that the three R’s (Research, Research, Research) should be done before you start this journey. I cannot stress this enough for the new members. No matter how you are going to arrive at the completed kit, make sure to take your time and use this community for its strength, its wealth of knowledge. I would even suggest the three R’s should be changed:

 

1st R – Read – Pretty straight forward. I started in the Getting Started – Read this First! section; I spent quite some time in those threads. Knowledge from that Reading led me to other areas to start learning.

2nd R – Research – At this point, I knew I wanted to be an ANH Stunt TK. I had found the vetted maker I wanted to purchase from, and had been in touch with them. I moved on to figuring out what I had exactly gotten myself into, and working through those fears by finding those that had gone before me. Using this research helped me identify the resources listed above to build the encyclopedia I am using for my overall build.

3rd R – Reinvest – Get involved! Once I felt comfortable with what I had learned, I started posting. Give back to the community by becoming involved in discussions you have opinions on. Draw upon your life experience and share what you have. Even the newest members can bring a perspective to a piece that no one has thought of. Once I started getting involved, it all started to make more sense. I don’t have near the level of apprehension with my first cuts today, than what I had six months ago. If you’re new, get involved, you won’t regret it.

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Tools & Supplies

Glue – E6000 (2 tubes), Gorilla Extra Strength CA Glue, 5 Minute Two Part Epoxy, 3M Black Weatherstrip Adhesive

Craft Sticks (tongue depressors) – I have large (3/4â€) and small (1/4â€)

Dremel

Plastic Food Containers, various sizes – Purchased from the 99 cent store, I am using them to sort all the smaller parts, webbing, elastic, etc. With the lids on, they stack and I can easily see and reach whatever I need.

Lexan scissors - Curved and straight

Clamps - I have both small and big squeeze clamps and 4†wood working clamps. All my clamps are from Harbor Freight. I know, the quality isn’t high, but I am not a professional construction/wood worker, so what they have is just perfect.

Line 24 snaps

Rivets – Split rivets, speed rivets and pop rivets (along with the tool)

Bolts, Nuts & Washers – For my TD. I am using brass #6 pan head bolts.

Chicago Screws – ¼†posts. For my holster and belt.

1†Aluminum – These will be used to make my TD clips. I got my supply from Lowes.

Industrial Strength Velcro – 2†black, 2†white

Elastic – ¼†white, 1†white, 2†white, 1†black, 2†black, 3†black

Nylon Strapping  – 1†black, 2†black

Butane Lighter – Have to seal the ends of the elastic and nylon strapping.

Knives – Exacto, Locking Shop Blade, extra blades for both

Metal Rulers – 12†with both US Customary and Metric markings, 48†with US Customary markings

ABS Sheets – 2mm, these will be used in making the cover strips. The MTK kit comes with some already, and I ordered some extras from Trooperbay http://trooperbay.com

Styrene Sheets – 1mm, I have a lot of this material left over from my E-11 build. I will put it to good use by using it as interior strips, covering the joints and adding a little reinforcement.

Old Beach Towel – work surface for the parts.

Novus

Shop Rags & Paper Towels

Tape – 2†painters, 1†painters, Packing Tape

Sandpaper – 80 grit (paper), 3M Flexible (220 & 320 grits), 1000 grit wet/dry (paper), sanding blocks (coarse and fine)

Pencil

Magnet Sachets - I have 60 of these. 40 of them are 1/8†thick; the remaining 20 are 1/16â€. They are sourced from K&J Magnetics

Files – Assorted sized shop files and a set of needle files for those really hard to reach areas

Paint Supplies – Mineral spirits, assorted brushes, paint (bucket, ab buttons, appropriate rivets/screws), Plasti Dip (for bucket interior)

Acetone & Small Mason Jar – For ABS paste

Heat Sealing Iron & Heat Gun

Soldering Iron

Assorted Tools: Hammer, Pliers, vise grips, assorted screw drivers, drill

 

Armor Kit

MTK – Contact TK-4510 here on the FISD, or via mtk_armor@cox.net – I have found Mike and his team to be very helpful in this journey, I am proud to be building his kit. As of the time of this posting MTK is not on the vetted list, but there are kits that have been built all the way to Centurion.

 

Armor Accessories

Undersuit – Champion Mens Compression line available from Target. This is a two part purchase (Top and Bottom ). The logos that are on them will not be visible and there is no visible stitching.

Boots – TK Boots

Gloves – Thermasilk liners, Nomex Gloves (for those hot days where the rubber chemical gloves would be brutal), Rubber Chemical Gloves (sourced from Trooperbay) for Centurion

Flexible Latex Hand Guards –  Trooperbay

Neckseal – Made this myself using Terry’s tutorial found here

Belt – Off White, from TKittel

Holster – Purchased from Trooperbay

E-11 Blaster – Kit purchased from Phoenix Props, build thread is linked in my signature.

Replacement Hovi Mic Tips – Purchased from Vaj

Aker & I-Com system – Purchased from TKProducts

Environmental Audio System – Purchased from Skyminer

Dual Transponder Throat Mic – Purchased from IX Radio, read about it in this thread. CAUTION: It has been discovered that this mic is very sensitive to your neck size. Make sure to read the thread to see others results. I got lucky and this mic works for me, but others have not been so lucky. Consider yourself warned. :blink: 

Headphones – Purchased from Amazon. I will be heavily modifying these for use in my bucket.

Cooling Fans – I am using a combination of Evil Boy’s kit and adding in two small 20mm x 20mm 5v fans as well. I got the fans from e-bay, sorry no link for the extra fans, but they are easy to find. There are even some members selling them in the PX from time to time.

iAnker Battery System – I saw this in one of the electronics threads and was floored. I will be using it to power all my helmet fans. The item was researched here but their site is a redirect to Amazon, which is where I made the final purchase.

Helmet Padding – Purchased from Amazon

Imperial Hydration System – Beta Version – This is a project I am working on the side, nothing to report yet so “Move along, move alongâ€. If I get this to work, and still have it successfully hidden by the armor it will get posted. If not, well consider this my 5 finger mind wipe technique. :lightemperor:

 

Wow…looking back at this list and reading this again, hard to believe that much goes into making a TK. If you are new, keep in mind I am adding a lot of extras that aren’t necessarily needed for your build. I like to tinker though, really like to tinker…

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The Build

I have seen in some other threads that members have posted questions and tracked them. I really like that idea, so I will incorporate (re: steal) their system and include it here. Once the build is done, I will go over my notes and every question that was asked, along with the most commonly agreed upon answer, will be posted as an Appendix post.

 

One thing I need to do better is more frequent updates. With my E-11 build, I was on pace for updating every two weeks. Considering I will have several questions along the way, I anticipate more frequent updates with this build. I will be shooting for Centurion, so the guidance of those that have come before me will be much appreciated. That will be hard to get unless I meet you half way, and at least post often enough, with pictures, to illicit those replies.

 

Where to start….OMG, where to start?? Ok…deep breath, it is just Plastic..Spacemen…(that was for you Darth Aloha)

 

Some sound advice I’ve seen, start at the top, work your way down…Got it…The top would be the bucket…the bucket? Nope, let’s skip that for now. Nightmares of ears tumble through the synapses of my mind…

 

Build Log – 6/10-6/11 – It begins

 

If I’m skipping the bucket, then let’s start with the arms. First up are the shoulder bells. Part way through the first one, and I understood why the advice is given to start here. Working with the shoulder bells gave me a good feel for how deep to score the ABS to get a good clean snap. I also got some practice with the sanding barrel on my Dremel and my belt sander. When using either of these, use a light touch. If you push hard against the tool the grit builds up so much friction that the ABS will melt rather than be sanded away. Slow and steady is the key, with light pressure. I test fit them to identify which bell was which and then cleaned up the edges starting with 80, 220, 320, 1000 grit sanding. Most of the effort of the sanding to smooth the edges was in the 220 and 320 grits. I will buff out all the armor later on to clear up any minor scratches that overlapped with Novus.

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Moving on to the left bicep. I used the same process for prepping the edges of the two pieces as I did for the shoulder bells. I did the score and snap method, then sanded in the same order as I did for my shoulder bells. I’m going to refer to this as “Surface Prep†from here on out. I then did some test fitting and to a very nice surprise found out that no major modifications will be needed to fit my frame with the MTK kit. It would appear (at least with the biceps) that the ridges fit me perfectly when trimming to the necessary 15mm cover strip. As my ruler only has whole numbers when it comes to mm, I trimmed one edge to 7mm and the other edge to 8mm. I cut both cover strips and have glued them down, using E6000 as my primary glue. If I don’t make a mention of what glue I’m using, assume that it is E6000. I made a note on a piece of painters tape of the time the glue and clamps were applied, now to wait it out at least 24 hours.

 

Here are some shots of the clamps holding the outer cover strips in place for glue.

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Well…I don’t have enough squeeze clamps. I thought I had plenty, but just this first piece took 9 clamps to hold in place. Time to make another run to Harbor Freight. I need more small clamps! LOL :laugh1: 

 

I am going to work on the left forearm next. Using the same approach, surface prep is completed and the cover strips are setting.

First Step – Score and snap. Since this is the forearm, there is no return edge.

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Second Step – Sanding on the belt sander. No tricky grooves here, so I didn’t need the dremel. You’ll notice that the flash is gone and instead I have pilled shavings to sand away. These pillings are the result of heat build up from the belt sander. Since it is just along the edge I am good, but be very careful to not build up too much heat on the edge when using tools of this nature, you could warp the ABS.

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Final Steps – Sanding is now done with various papers using the method I described above. Here is the finished edge, all nice and shiny. It is also smooth to the touch and will not snag the undersuit from beneath.

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To trim the outer edges in preparation for the cover strip you need a nice straight line that follows the curvature of the armor. I measured each side, checked my center measurement, then clamped my 12†metal ruler to the piece. I can now score the ABS at the right spot to ensure enough coverage to attach this half of strip. The total measurement for arms is 15mm, so just like the biceps I am splitting the difference. Once side will be 7mm, the other side 8mm.

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Both sides of the left forearm piece now have strips and they are clamped for the glue to dry.

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I didn’t get a picture of my next step, but I did attach one of my left bicep halves to its counterpart. That seam is now drying, I will be able to complete the enclosure this weekend and add in the interior cover strips. I have left over 1mm styrene from my E-11 build, so I will be using that material to make all the interior strips along the butt seams. The extra reinforcement will give me piece of mind.

 

That’s all for now, still a long way to go. Once my left forearm pieces are done I’ll do a complete test fit for some input. No questions so far, but I have a strong suspicion they will be coming.

 

 

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You're off to a great start and it's nice to see another MTK build!

 

Thank you, the starting is the hard part. That first cut was intense, let me tell you.

 

This is going to be more than a build , it's going to be a tutorial great detail buddy

 

 

 

Sent from my TK comlink via Holonet

 

Very generously kind words my new friend. I am not aiming to make a tutorial, my experience is not great enough. However; if what I document here allows a newer person start the journey to making their own TK, then I will find myself very humbled indeed.

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Build Log – 6/12-6/14 – Arms, Chest, TD

Weekends are when I have the chance to get more work done on projects and I managed to get a good amount finished over the last three days.

Work continues on the arm sections. I now have both biceps and both forearms curing. The trip to Harbor Freight for more 1 ¾†spring clamps has now allowed me to work on more pieces simultaneously. By mid-day on Saturday I had all the pieces in one stage or another.

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On Sunday, once the E6000 had cured in one stage, I removed the clamps and took the next step. At this point the left bicep is fully enclosed and only has one interior strip left. The left forearm is now closing up and its first interior strip is curing. The right bicep and forearm are at the same stage, the first seam of the halves coming together is now curing.

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My instincts took me to the TD next. Since the pipe is going to need to be painted, that paint will need time to cure properly. Sunday was a beautiful day in Simi Valley, perfect for painting. Even though I don’t live in a cold climate, it is nearing summer now and there are just days where it is too hot to use spray paint.

First up was to do the trimming and sanding. Here are the completed parts. After reading through Spacebrew’s EIB thread I was concerned that the pull on my endcaps would be in the same situation, and they are. It would appear that in the MTK kit, the pull on the endcaps is not as sharp as in others. When sanded down and leveled, the best you can do is 17mm for an end cap. I will be a little short here.

 

Question 001 – Considering I am going to shoot for Centurion, will having 17mm end caps be an issue? Clips will be butted up against the caps and the overall length of the TD will be correct.

 

The hole that you see in the pipe is for venting when gluing in the end caps, the control panel will cover this hole. You will also see that I rounded down the edges of the pipe by approximately ¼†to assist in sliding the end caps on.

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Before painting, the pipe must be masked. Paint does not like glue! I taped off 15mm on the edges of the pipe, and then traced the control panel location.

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Using the tracing of the control panel as a guideline, I masked it off, leaving a small band for paint to come in, just like the end caps. This will allow for the paint to run under the edges of both end caps and the control panel while still allowing for enough surface area for the glue to take hold.

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Up next is paint. Rustoleum flat black to act as a primer, Testors Gloss Gray (Item#1238) and Rustoleum Gloss Clear.

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Here is my temporary spray booth. For such a small item, I didn’t set up my full spray booth.

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One coat of the flat black was applied. After 30 minutes of drying time a light sanding with 400 grit paper was done to remove a couple of drips that I got, along with removing any other surface imperfections. Gray was applied in three coats, 30 minutes dry time for each coat and a very light sanding (very light touch mind you!) with 400 grit paper prior to the last coat. Once that last coat had cured for 2 hours I then applied two layers of the Gloss Clear as a top coat, allowing 30 minutes of cure time between the two.

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While the paint was drying I moved on to the clips. I will be following the How To: Make Thermal Detonator Belt Clips. Jesse’s videos are no longer up on YouTube, but I did some scrounging on the net (re: GOOGLE) and came across them at this location. First step here was to gather up my supplies. From bottom to top: 1†Aluminum stock, 2X4 scrap, Sanding Block, Drill with 1/8†metal bit, Sandpaper progressing in the following order (60-150-220-400-800).

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I cut two lengths from the stock using a rotary cut off tool. You can use a Dremel here as well, it will just take longer. The two lengths of stock were cut at 9 ¼â€.

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After a brief sanding on the belt sander to remove burrs, the two pieces are taped together with masking tape. One end must be aligned as close as you can get them to perfect.

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I then drew a center line at ½†and made my locations for drilling through the stock. The top hole was marked at 3/8â€, the second 1 ½†from that location. The very bottom hole is just used for holding the stock in the next step, so I drilled that about ½†from the bottom. That hole will be removed from the clips in the final trimming.

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The holes are drilled and the tape removed. The holes are now all in identical locations, which will assist in lining up the clips for final installation without the need for a lot of drafting tools and math. I later discovered that my holes at 1/8†were too small for my #6 pan head bolts. The holes had to be enlarged to 3/16â€.

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Next up was the initial sanding. This process took some time, but it is well worth it. Work through the progression of sand paper, putting a nice brushed finish into the aluminum stock. To help hold the stock piece to the edge of the 2x4 scrap, I beat in a nail that will go through the already drilled holes. Another tip, make sure to keep a shop rag handy. Dust both sides of the stock and the 2x4 scrap before you flip it over to work on the other side. The residue from each of the papers, along with the aluminum powder, can scratch very quickly and destroy all your work. Just a light dusting is good enough to remove all that extra material.

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The sanding took some time, but I am very pleased with the results. Here you can see the two prepared pieces of stock laid next to the left over stock in the state I purchased it in. All the nicks and burrs are gone and we have some nice shiny strips to move on to the next step.

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The two pieces of stock are now attached to a 2†piece of PVC pipe. This is where I discovered my holes weren’t big enough. However; once I had the 3/16†holes drilled they fit easily.

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Into the vice they go, bending just with arm strength. No, I am not Hercules, aluminum of this size bends very easily. Take note of the brown work glove underneath the PVC pipe. This protects the stock from scratches from the vice mechanism.

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After working with the stock for a while, again following the video tutorial, you wind up with this.

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Using the control panel as a guide, along with photo references, I picked the bend point to start the “U†of the clip. I used a pry bar here to help me start those curves.

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Working with the vice a little more to make the U bends as sharp as possible helps. Without the vice it is not possible to get good tight bends. I removed the pry bar so I could really close the gap up. Make sure you don’t overstress that U bend. Aluminum will snap if overstressed. I then cut off about ½†off of each clip and added in some slight bends. Then it was time for more sanding. All of the paper was progressed through once more, only this time the focus was on just those surfaces that will be visible. This final sanding removed a majority of the small scratches that I introduced while bending the clips. They are done though, and I am happy with them.

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By now all the paint was dry enough on the pipe to allow for handling. I removed the masking tape and here you can see all the pieces ready for final assembly. I just need to paint the pan head screws with semi-gloss black. The pipe also still needs to allow the paint to cure for 48 hours. This will ensure proper adhesion of all the layers and the top coat.

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Moving on to the chest plate now, I am going back to the Top to Bottom preparation. I think a little more could be removed from the neck line, but I didn’t want to trim all the way down until I get some test fitting in on my actual person.

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Then it was time for the shoulder bridges. In the MTK kit the bridges are already arched as a part of the pull. This is nice as it means no heat bending to get them into a good shape. The picture you see here is the inside view. I have taken Magic Sculpt to fill in the large square and the first smaller rectangle channel. I was testing the laying of the chest plate on my torso and I only need 1.5 of the small rectangle channels to get a good laydown of the bridges. The filler here floats up the edge, and once sanded down will give me a solid flat surface to apply the glue to. It will allow for a very solid bond between the bridges and the chest plate.

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That’s all for now, progress will be a little slower with the work week coming. Not as much time to build as I have on a weekend.

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Before you put the end caps on the TD pipe, use it as a guide to do the curves for the battery knee pack. Trooperbay, maker of our armor, has a great video tutorial using this process.

 

 

Jason, thank you for the reminder. I had forgotten that part of the series. I even went back and watched it this evening again to see how Mike did that trick (pt. 4 of his series for those wondering). Sadly, I have sanded down the edges of my pipe so that won't be usable for his technique. However; I do have some 2" scrap pipe in around my workbench that will sub nicely. I am going to wait for an answer to Question#001 before I do final assembly of the TD though. I don't want to put on the end caps just to have to take them off and source replacements from somewhere else.

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Build Log – 6/15-6/17 – TD, Arms, Thoracic Pieces, Hand Plates

I will admit it; I am a little disappointed that my question wasn’t answered. Now, before that comment brings out the pitch forks; I did some examination of why that could be and I have determined that it is my fault. Read on audience, read on. Here is how I drew that conclusion.

  • Too may “K†builds actively going on, the question was lost in the mix – Entirely possible. Kredal’s, Keyla’s, Kawnr’s and Khazid’s builds are all actively happening with updates coming very regularly. My post may have gotten lost in the mix.
  • Question is of a difficult nature – Again, possible, but considering the knowledge of the community, especially the vets, I ruled this out.
  • The question was buried and was just overlooked – I think this is the most likely of reasons. I tried to set apart the question by using a different color; obviously that failed. Looks like the lack of response is my fault, it is the logical conclusion.

Going forward I will resolve to post my questions separately from the build update so that they are set apart from my normal dialogue. I’ll keep the formatting the same (using blue text and bold) to ensure it is set apart from just a normal post. I think this will help as I continue on this journey.

Now, with that said, I realize it is still my responsibility for ensuring my build meets the requirements of the particular level of qualification that I am shooting for. This meant on Tuesday night I started banging away on research to get an answer.

  • Review recent EIB and Centurion MTK applications – I found three MTK Centurions and read through both their Centurion and EIB applications. I could find no mention of TD size issues. I even attempted to do a photo comparison of what was in their shots, versus what I have on hand and failed to draw any conclusions of note. Nothing to support my build, nothing to require a correction.
  • Review the CRL’s for Centurion (Level 3) – Nothing specific mentioned in regards to the size of the end cap, just the overall size of the final assembly. Another dead end.
  • Review known photographs from screen shots – This is where I found my answer. While actual screen caps led me back to the same conclusions as I got for the applications; I ultimately found an image posted by Locitus that led me to my answer.

I took that image and recreated the shot with both of my end caps. I chose the right hand end cap from the photo reference. Using my photo editor, I took cropped portions of just that area and put them into a merged image. Adjusting for scale, I got the measuring tapes to line up. Here is the completed photo comparison, apples to apples.

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Now, this isn’t a forensic comparison, but I feel oh so much better about the 17mm end caps. They are nearly identical in size to that of the photo reference. So close that my opinion is that any difference in size is negligible. I feel confident that there will be no issue in this TD having a problem with a Centurion application.

Edited by Khazid
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Ok…with that over with, it was now time to finish off the TD assembly. First I had to address my clips. While finishing up that research to answer my own question, I discovered that the left over material from the most visible screw head to the end of the clip (touching the control panel) was too great. I put in the raw screw and realized that I would have to trim off at least 5mm from each clip. Here is the final result.

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The new clips now rotate the panel further away from the belt, making its face more vertical and thereby closer to cannon. I then measured from right hand side 16.5 mm. Laying the clip just over that mark I used a sharpie to give me the target for the drilled holes. Then using a 1/16†punch I tapped the pipe to give the screw bit something to grab onto.

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If you don’t use a punch (or a nail head) to do this, there is a chance your drill bit will want to walk along the surface of your pipe. Damaging not only the paint job, but the alignment of the clips as well. I then drilled the holes using a 3/16†drill bit and installed the clip. After that, put some E6000 in the end cap and slide it on. The glue acts as a lubricant, so putting the end cap on is very easy. However; removing the cap is nearly impossible after it is on when using even E6000. Consider this before attaching the pieces.

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My control panel is only taped on at this point to assist with alignment. Until both sides have end caps attached you must not attach the control panel. The panel covers the “vent†hole that allows the second end cap to install, otherwise you have no way for the air to escape and getting it on correctly would be extremely difficult. With the right side done, I repeated on the left. Only this time I made an error and instead of measuring to 16.5mm, I must have made my mark at 17.5mm. As you can see here, my left clip is not fully flush up against the end cap.

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Not much I could do there, I tried to get that end cap off, but it was having none of it. Sorry sir, I am in place and not moving, live with it. Ok, just going to take a deep breath and attach the control panel. I am using rubber bands here to keep it under pressure while the E6000 sets. Here is an overhead shot, everything is lined up nicely. I am pleased with the results.

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Time to work on the gloves and hand plates. First up is the Centurion set up. I took the latex hand plates and glued them down to the chemical gloves using E6000. I used my scrap piece of 2†pipe as armature for the taping.

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After curing for a day, I peeled off the tape and to my horror, the hand plates came with it. Looks like E6000 doesn’t like the latex backing, but it did adhere to the gloves. Not feeling discouraged I broke out my 2 part epoxy that has a 5 minute cure. Spending a little time peeling all the E6000 residue off the gloves and plates first of course. To my surprise, same result. Good adhesion with the gloves, and the latex plates just peel away, taunting me. Ugh. Check to ensure plates are sanded, yep. Check ratio of glue, that’s good too. Ok, time for another glue type and we’re moving on to CA. That did the trick, though by this point my edges were a little messy. I should be able to clean that up once they set for a couple of days. However; the Centurion gloves are done.

I then moved on to the plastic hand plates. Since the back of our hands are not flat, I got out some 3†PVC couplers that I have in my build box for the shins. Using a heat gun and heat resistant glove, I worked the trimmed hand plate slowly until I could get some curvature to it. Here you can see the result. The hand plate on the left has the heat bend applied. Liking the result, I repeated this for the other hand plate.

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On especially hot troops, where rubber gloves are just not feasible, I plan to wear nomex tactical gloves and will thereby use the plastic hand plates that I will slide over the gloves with two strips of elastic. One strip going around the wrist, the other around my palm. Sufficient for sporting EIB status, and according to most of my squad mates, much more comfortable than the chemical gloves.

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Here are some basic recaps of the last three days.

Monday 6/15 – Left forearm has its last inner strip curing; Right bicep and right forearm are now enclosed and have their first inner strip curing.

th_Armor-040.jpg

Tuesday 6/16 – Right bicep and forearm have their last inner strip curing. Plastic hand plates are completed. Chemical gloves are curing with the E6000 (not pictured). TD is complete and the control panel is curing. Back plate is now trimmed and sanded, waiting for the final fitting.

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Wednesday 6/17 – Glove debacle is done, pictured here are the finished Centurion gloves with the latex hand plates attached via CA glue. The Ab Plate, Kidney Plate and Butt Plate are all trimmed and sanded.

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Continuing with the top down progress, painting the Ab button panels (and attaching them) then moving on to the belt. There is a lot on my plate this weekend with the family considering it is Father’s Day, so I am not sure how much time will be allotted for the build. I think it is coming along nicely though.

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Build Log – 6/15-6/17 – Supplemental

I will let you in on a secret about me and modeling in general, I hate seams, I mean hate them. If it has a seam, fill it and hide it. I am really fighting that compulsion, but in the end I must come to face the facts, I am going to have to resolve the seams.

 

What I have noticed, is that there are tiny gaps (2-4mm) at the edges, hidden by the cover strips, where the armor just doesn’t come together perfectly. Those seam gaps are driving me to experiment with a way to fill them; then camouflage them to appear like a normal smooth transition into the armor. Is it set accurate, no, but will it make me feel better, oh yes.

 

Time to experiment. First up was taking a piece of scrap ABS, this piece was from one of my bicep halves. I then intentionally cut away a triangle portion along the bottom edge and attached a random chunk of ABS nearby as well. The triangle is experiment A and the chunk is experiment B.

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Experiment A will need backing support to give a surface for the patch to adhere too. Time to break out the 0.75mm styrene. Trim a patch and then glue it to the back of the piece.

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Magic sculpt is now applied to both sites. Experiment A I am looking to repair the gap and maintain its curved seam. Experiment B I am looking to transition by feathering into the armor along its longest edge on the right side.

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After the appropriate set time (24 hours) both sites are sanded, then painted with Testor’s gloss white. Scratches are removed using Novus 2, then Novus 1 is applied to buff out.

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In the close up shot I am happy with the results of the patching. The paint is a terrible match and will need to be adjusted to blend better with the ABS. I believe a repeat of this experiment using no paint is in order. The dried white Magic Sculpt is nearly a dead on color match. It needs gloss though that Novus will not provide, so I think some Future, or Testor’s gloss coat will be needed prior to buffing.

 

So I’m close, but not the success I wanted. If I can get a second round of experiments to test out I will be using the methods of both A and B to totally blend away the seams where cover strips are. I am also contemplating using it in the small gaps that are between the cover strips and the raised ridges. This will give the illusion that the armor is a solid cast, and not multiple pieces conjoined. Yes, yes, I know that isn’t set accurate, but I hate seams…hate them…must hate seams…must fix them…

 

Now that I think about it, maybe the next round of experiments will include ABS paste as a site C and D, along with a repeat of A and B. That should fix my color matching issue….hmmm….

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Looking great so far, Brandon. Your posts really have a lot of detail in them. 

 

Question: are you a fan of seams?  :laugh1:

 

 

I'll be watching how you do your ABS paste. I did a lot of trial-and-error when I used it on my thigh shims; trying to find the perfect way to apply and sand.

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Looking great so far, Brandon. Your posts really have a lot of detail in them. 

 

Question: are you a fan of seams?  :laugh1:

 

 

I'll be watching how you do your ABS paste. I did a lot of trial-and-error when I used it on my thigh shims; trying to find the perfect way to apply and sand.

 

 

Thank you Chris. I want to share my journey in the hopes someone building an MTK in future has a reference of a few things to do, and what to avoid that I do wrong (like wrong sized gaps on the clips).

 

Yes, seams are rebel scum and must be filled...must be filled...must be filled.

 

Just finished some research here on ABS paste, I will document all I can. The chemist in me will want to come out, so be forewarned my dear readers.

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Build Log – 6/18-6/21 – Ab Plate, Belt, and Test Fit #1

There is a new circle of pain that I have subjected myself too, sanding. Going into this build I was nervous about all the trimming, measuring, etc. It turns out that the most tenuous part of the build is the sanding. I was in a good rhythm until this week; my shoulders hit the wall from all the back and forth repetitive motion. Going to take a few days to try and recover, but I don’t want to lose any steam now.

 

First up were the button plates. I used Bob Dively liquid masking film to prepare the area where I would paint. Four really nice layers and I wound up with a surface that looks like this.

th_Armor-047.jpg

The film dries to a powder blue and is mostly used in RC and Model Aircraft applications, however; I’ve used it for a long time to protect canopies and to mask off free handed details on my models. Once it was nice and dry, it was time for paint.

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Once the paint was dry the film peels off easily by hand and leaves no residue. I had a few minor bleeds that were quickly cleaned up with a nail stick and mineral spirits.

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Then it was time to get them glued on to the Ab Plate, which was done after I had completed a few steps of my belt.

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To start the belt I went with the drop boxes first. First I identified the inner and outer boxes, labeling them prior to starting the finishing process. Here you can see an inner box, and an outer box that has been finished. For my outer box, I trimmed them to 10mm and then sanded them down to around 9mm.

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I then set the outer box onto the inner box form so that I could get a marked line for trimming.

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Trim just short of the line and then sand down to it. Continue testing the inner box until it fits nicely into the outer box that has already been completed. Repeat for the other pair.

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The ammo belt has now been trimmed and I have started to make the 45 degree cuts in the corners. At this point, the head bend has not been applied.

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I followed Terry’s tutorial on the heat bend, using paint sticks, a heat resistant glove and a heat gun.

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To make sure I was keeping the bend in line, I constantly compared the cooled belt against the ab plate.

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Measure your belt and mark the center line. The mark should be on center in both the length and width.

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I then measured where I was going to put the snaps on the Ab Plate. The Ab Plate was marked (no picture, sorry) and the holes were burned into the belt using a soldering iron. Here you see the female snaps installed. These are Tandy 24 snaps.

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Here is the front view; the male snaps are now installed on the Ab Plate. You’ll also notice the pop rivets that are used to hold the ammo belt to the canvas belt.

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Using the Billhag (sp?) templates I marked the holster position and installed it using ¼†post Chicago Screws.

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1†industrial elastic was attached to each drop box using pop rivets. I cut the length of this elastic to 8â€.

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My left drop box needed a modification to work around the rivet that is in the ammo belt. Just trim out a notch and seal it with a lighter. My drop box will now line up properly. I am using Velcro to attach the drop boxes on the off chance I decide to also go HWT with this build at a later date.

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Here is the box installed, lining up with the outside edge of the ammo belt.

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The covers were then installed and clamped to glue overnight.

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With the belt done, it was time to do a test fitting.

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I enlisted the help of my lovely wife to help me get these test fit photos completed. Please note that there is zero strapping installed at this point and my shoulder bridges are not glued yet either. If anything jumps out as a glaring issue, let me know.

th_Armor-067.jpg

The bib for my neck seal is sticking out a little wonky here, blocking the left bicep, it is not a trim line. LOL

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Here are the major components left to work through in the build:

1 – Thighs and Calves need to be trimmed, fitted and assembled.

2 – Strapping needs to be put together for the main armor.

3 – Bucket needs to be assembled.

Lots of little steps in there of course, but I feel like at this point I’m nearing the half way point. Just need to rest up my shoulders and then find the energy to push on.

Until next time….

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This is my first time looking at your build thread. Everything looks great so far. In regards to your TD end caps, your fine. Centurion will not be a problem with the thickness you have there. You can see my TD in detail in my Centurion request post. Keep up the good work mate.  :th_AnimatedBravoSmiley:

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This is my first time looking at your build thread. Everything looks great so far. In regards to your TD end caps, your fine. Centurion will not be a problem with the thickness you have there. You can see my TD in detail in my Centurion request post. Keep up the good work mate. :th_AnimatedBravoSmiley:

Thank you for the kind words and confirming I am not crazy with the TD. I am crazy though. Lol.
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Build Log – 6/22-6/28 – Legs

Not many updates to provide, this week I had to travel out of town for work. Oh, and the family had a Disneyland outing on the 27th. Heh.

First up was the trimming of the calves and the leg accessories. In the picture here you can see the outer cover strip on the front calves being set. All cover strips for the front of the legs are being cut to 20mm.

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In this shot, the calves have now been assembled and the inner cover strips are being set. I also have the outer cover strips for the front of the thighs being set. Again, 20mm for the cover strips.

th_Armor-072.jpg

Lastly, some discussion about how I trimmed the thigh ammo boxes. After the initial trims were all set and sanded, I used some scrap 2†pvc pipe to draw the curvature. Then that curvature was trimmed and sanded. You can just make out the  PVC scrap above the boxes in this picture. Sorry, it blends in with my armor storage box. I am not sure if it was a result of my trimming, or if it is part of the kit, but I have one side of the thigh boxes that is noticeably shorter than the other. Not going to worry about it at this point.

th_Armor-073.jpg

Considering how close I am, it is now time to build a checklist for what is left to do:

  • Trim rear of both calves to fit.
  • Glue on rear cover strips for calves. I am going with 25 mm for that measurement. They will be glued on only the outside portion of each calf.
  • Attach industrial strength velcro to inward facing joint on each calf. This is the closure method I have chosen to go with.
  • Add velcro to boots. Going to use the hooks on the boots and the loops on the inside bottom of the calves.
  • For sections of the calf at the bottom not getting velcro, attach moleskin 1/16†from the edge.
  • Install 20mm interior cover strips to thighs.
  • Trim rear of thighs to fit.
  • Close rears of thighs with a 25mm cover strip that is glued onto both halves.
  • Install 25mm rear cover strip to thighs.
  • Install thigh ammo boxes to right thigh bottom.
  • Install knee plate on top of left calf.
  • Install split rivets in left joint of Kidney & Ab plates
  • Install split rivet in cod plate.
  • Install “Han†snap in right hand side of Ab plate
  • Install male snaps in the butt plate
  • Glue shoulder bridges to the chest plate
  • Make snap plates for strapping.
  • Strap armor to fit.
  • Assemble Bucket.
  • Install Bucket interior.
  • Paint bucket.
  • Submit photo’s for TKID, then EIB and lastly Centurion.
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You will be finished this before you know it. More photos please, loved your blaster thread and enjoying your armor build.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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You will be finished this before you know it. More photos please, loved your blaster thread and enjoying your armor build.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 Andrew, thank you for the kind words. Hopefully today's Build Log will not disappoint with the pictures :)

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