TakoTuesday[501st] Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 It took a while to find the info but I started by cutting all of the necessary cover strips for this build. Even though the measurements are approximates it was a big boost to my confidence knowing the current measurements used. Thanks to all the helpful members of this forum for their information (especially pandatrooper and Dark CMF). Here are the widths I used for my cover strips: Arms: 15mm Thighs: 23mm Shins: 20mm Shins (backs): waiting to finish the shins before determining the size *Note: The next time I would not use permanent marker as it is very time consuming to remove. Instead I would use a pencil since that rubs off very easily. Next I measured 12mm on the front of each side of the thighs. Once sanded down the front straps should match up to the 23mm cover strips I had pre-cut. After test fitting I decided I had to remove 1.5" from the top of the thighs in order to accommodate my shorter legs. Here's a picture showing a section of the thigh removed next to the trimmed thigh. The AM thighs are missing the accurate notch at the top of thighs which I may try to add once the build it complete. The front straps on the shins were cut down to 10mm on each side and assembled using the same butt end method like I did with the thighs. Here's a close up of the top of one shins. The slight gap at the top will allow the shins to flex and close tighter around my calves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 You're going to find quite a few of these little gaps. It's not a big deal because some of these areas will get trimmed down, covered with knee plates, etc. For the ones not hidden, that's where ABS paste or iron comes into play. Keep all of your scraps. I bought a cheap plastic 3 drawer dresser from Wal-Mart and one drawer is dedicated to scraps alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakoTuesday[501st] Posted October 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 Jason, you're right about all the tiny gaps but leaving this gap was intentional. After test fitting I determined that a small portion of the return edge needed to be removed in order for the shin flex around my calf and fit better. Front cover strips were added to the shins and thighs. Close up of the cover strip fitting nicely over the trimmed front strap. Though the shadows make it appear as if the cover strips are extending beyond the front strap there is no overhanging material. Bent and shaped the end of the cover strip to match the contour of the bottom of the thigh. While this isn't necessary it helped keep a clean and uniform look to the legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 A lot of troopers remove the bottom return edge from the shins anyways because they tend to chew up your boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakoTuesday[501st] Posted October 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 All the return edges on the bottoms of my shins were removed. (The above image with the gap shows the top of the shin) The biceps required a bit more work to fit properly because of their narrow profile. This image shows the original bicep shape (blue dashed line) and indicates the corners that were slowly heated and formed to give the bicep a rounder/square shape. I worked on the inner corners so that the outside (most visible) part of the bicep kept its original appearance. Here's a close up of the bicep constructed using the butt end method. Once I refit my biceps I went back and redid my forearms and tapered them to fit better. You can see the nasty gap that was left when I had to cut part the two halves at the seam and trim excess material. Extra ABS and ABS paste was used to fill the gap and strengthen the connection between the two halves. It isn't pretty... Fortunately the cover strips hide these ugly adjustments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 Improvise, overcome, and adapt. Looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakoTuesday[501st] Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Cutting out and drilling snap plates. (Note to self: It would have been much faster if I had used webbing like many of the others did. Lesson learned.) And installing snaps... Next time I have to remember not to use up all the snaps because I ran out and I still need snaps for the right side ab/kidney opening, ab plate for the belt and butt plate. At least I have extra snap plates for my next build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 If it's not too late, you may want to reconsider using Dritz snaps. They are cheap for a reason. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondutrooper[TK] Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) Cutting out and drilling snap plates. (Note to self: It would have been much faster if I had used webbing like many of the others did. Lesson learned.) And installing snaps... Next time I have to remember not to use up all the snaps because I ran out and I still need snaps for the right side ab/kidney opening, ab plate for the belt and butt plate. At least I have extra snap plates for my next build. I used scrap pieces of ABS for my snaps. Using an inexpensive soldering iron (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006NGZK0 ) made all the holes for my snaps. Soldering iron gets dirty but works fine. Same soldering iron helps burn the webbing to prevent fraying on the straps. Also ordered my snaps and snap tool from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O1GTVMW http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004T7VT) Edited October 19, 2015 by hondutrooper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakoTuesday[501st] Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Jason, what's a better brand of snaps to use? I don't know anything about quality snaps so any recommendations are welcome. Victor, I like your suggestion for using a soldering iron. I didn't want to damage mine but I will have to pick up a cheap one now just for things like this. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Tandy Line 24 are fairly popular and have a great reputation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justjoseph63[Staff] Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I used the Dritz snaps on my first go-around, found out (the hard way) that they come apart REALLY easily, and ended up having to replace every single one with Tandy line 24 snaps.. I also replaced all of my ABS snap plates with nylon, (not an easy task, but worth it). The reason being is that the ABS plates do not conform to the shape of the armor in many places, and tend to pop off at the most inopportune times. Like Jason said, "Improvise, overcome, and adapt"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakoTuesday[501st] Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Thanks for the info guys. It looks like I'll have to do an immediate upgrade to Tandy Line 24 snaps once I get my approval. I'll also switch out to nylon webbing since I've already installed almost all the snap plates. Any recommendation on removing existing snap plates? Drill them out or cut the snaps down flush? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justjoseph63[Staff] Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 It depends on what type of glue you used, Ryan. If you used E-6000, you can do what I did and use a razor knife to slowly remove them. If you used CA (super) glue, you can SLOWLY and CAREFULLY grind them down to an acceptable level using a Dremel tool with the sanding drum attachment, then attach the nylon right over them. You will thank yourself for buying the soldering iron tool... it works great for making holes and sealing the edges of the nylon. On a side note, have you attached all the inner cover strips? The reason I ask is that the edges look pretty sharp on some of them, and this can lead to them tearing or getting caught on your under suit. I suggest sanding the heck out of the edges with 200+ grit sandpaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I used a drill bit in a clamp, heated it with a butane lighter and pushed the nylon threw because I didn't want to buy a soldiering iron. You could use a punch tool as well but a soldiering iron or my ghetto method works faster. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakoTuesday[501st] Posted October 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Joseph, I'll be using ABS paste to smooth over the inner cover strips. Its been successful so far but for areas that it doesn't work on I'll make full length inner strips to cover the entire area. Since I'm going to be replacing all these snap plates that I already glued I won't post many photos of them. I also drilled the hole for the rivet in the cod piece. The strap will be made after everything has been fitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kredal[TK] Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 I used Dritz snaps, but attached the male part to the snap plates with rivets and washers, so there was less sticking up on the bottom... and then heated up the snap plates so I could bend them slightly to curve with the armor. So far, the only snaps I've had any issue with are the ones on the fabric belt to attach to the ab plate. One of them comes unsnapped if I don't tighten the belt enough when I put it on... I think that has more to do with the positioning of the snap than the quality though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakoTuesday[501st] Posted October 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Thanks Josh, that's good to know they're ok. So far the snaps have held up to me turning and twisting but I've never trooped for hours so I will probably upgrade to Tandy snaps just to have peace of mind. I haven't done the belt yet so I will probably make those Tandy snaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68Brick[TK] Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Nice clean build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakoTuesday[501st] Posted October 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2015 (edited) Thanks! Didn't get much done today... Just enough spare time to trim and attach the shoulder straps as well as add the snaps and rivet to the cod piece. Had to trim off a good 3-4mm from all the edges of the strap to get it to line up nicely without excessive overhang on the sides. There's still a little edging around the entire strap which I think gives them a good solid appearance. They will only be attached to the chest plate as per the CRL. The rear plate tip was trimmed down significantly in order to make it screen accurate. This trimming was done according to this post which shows photos of screen used suits trimmed the same way. The snaps on the rear plate had to be done twice because I had misaligned them the first time. The second time they came out perfectly. I may need to adjust the length of the elastic strap but I'll wait to do that after the entire suit is together before I make any final adjustments. Thanks for all the information, advice, suggestions and recommendations from my fellow TKs! You've all been a tremendous help during this build. Edited October 26, 2015 by TakoTuesday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakoTuesday[501st] Posted November 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Got some of the local garrison guys to help mark the shins so I could taper them to look correct. Ended up having to add shims to them for the Velcro closure. The shim is on the inside where no one will see it so there's no need for sanding or making it look pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakoTuesday[501st] Posted November 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 I decided to start finishing up my helmet by adding in some removable lenses and mouth mesh. I just eye balled the sizes for everything and started cutting... The lenses were cut from welding lens material that everyone seems to recommend. The retention tabs were cut from scrap ABS and formed using a heat gun. Now the lens can be easily removed for cleaning and replacement should it get scratched, etc. The mesh for the mouth is just screen door mesh. Its glued to a frame made of scrap ABS and bent to shape. The retention tabs are also made using extra ABS. I had intended on adding a tab at the top but the two bottom ones keep it held securely. Here's both the lens and the mouth mesh installed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukswrath[Staff] Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Cool retaining tabs, nice touch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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