lucnak[TK] Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 (edited) Hi guys, Some members of the Capital City Garrison (two TKs and a Chewie) surprised me and my wife at our wedding (thanks to my mother-in-law) in 2014 and being part of the 501st has interested me for a while, so here I go trying to join the ranks! Been reading quite a bit in anticipation and have finally received my ATA armour and have started trimming! So far I have rough trimmed the biceps (pictured below among a bunch of other junk), forearms, chest, back, and kidney. No photos of those yet. Fortunately for me, I'm 5'10" and about 165 lbs so most everything should fit decently right out of the box. Going alright so far, though I've made a few slips of the exacto that I will need to fill in and polish or simply live with. I am limited in what I can do right now because Canadian winter means that it's too cold to glue in the garage and I have a baby so I don't want to be using E6000 indoors right now. I will patiently await Spring! I am hoping to finish my build by the end of the summer and I am shooting for Centurion status...wish me luck! I am currently rough trimming using the snap and score method and then plan on sanding down with the dremel and then doing the final sanding by hand with either a piece of sandpaper or a sanding sponge. I still have some supplies to procure but I've got time to get those. They include: boots, gloves with flexible hand plates, neck seal, belt, pipe for TD, and holster (and possibly a garter belt system?). I am planning on going out and buying snaps, nylon, elastic, etc. in the next few weeks. Have already ordered rivets. I also need to buy the paint for the helmet. I am happy to take everyone's advice throughout my build and I appreciate the community that exists here at FISD! Here's hoping I don't make any critical mistakes. Edited February 17, 2016 by lucnak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentry71[TK] Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 The armor looks like it belongs in the kitchen with all that white around it. You have the right attitude - taking your time - and that will pay off in Centurion status at the end. You also seem to have your supplies planned out... not much else to add at this point, other than possibly recommending boots ordered sooner than later, as they tend to take a while to show up. Looking forward to following this thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illusionz_09[TK] Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Looking forward to your build. I myself am almost done with my ATA armor. Take your time, it will definitely be worth it. I'll keep on eye on the thread to see if you have any questions. Good Luck Trooper!!! Great choice going TK! Oh and btw, since you can't glue just yet, i suggest you start with your bucket build. It requires no glue, just manual labor and love Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucnak[TK] Posted February 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Thanks guys. I will be starting the bucket soon, just want to spray paint the inside matte black first before I make any cuts. Looks like saturday should be warm enough in the garage to do that at least, and then I can get that going! In the meantime I will continue rough trimming here and there when I get a few minutes! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted February 18, 2016 Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 The E6000 really isn't that smelly or strong in smell. Epoxy is a different story. I did 80% of my build in my kitchen on a fold out table with the legs extended high so my kids couldn't destroy it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68Brick[TK] Posted February 18, 2016 Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 The strength in smell does not equate to the level of toxicity. If you're using E6000, you need ventilation. You're wise to be cautious, especially with a baby around. Warmer weather is on it's way ... eventually. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucnak[TK] Posted February 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 Some trimmed armour. Also to get used to using the dremel and sandpaper, I sanded down a shoulder strap. Small steps! Was wondering about feedback regarding my wrist side of forearms. Am I good with the no return edge requirement for Centurion? Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted February 19, 2016 Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 Looks good, just make sure you sand those burs down for a smooth finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illusionz_09[TK] Posted February 19, 2016 Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 yes for forearms; The wrist side MUST have no return edge. As far as the other end its up to you. I personally removed the return edge from both sides of the forearm for comfort and so it does not pinch with the bicep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucnak[TK] Posted February 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2016 Spray painted the inside of my helmet matte black today. Used a plastic bag to keep the outside untouched. Worked pretty well! I also dremeled/sanded: biceps, forearms, shoulder straps, chest, and back. Oh and I picked up strapping supplies too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucnak[TK] Posted February 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 Hi guys, I'm a bit worried that I cut away too much around the eyes. Thoughts? The third photo shows why I'm concerned...to get this flush, I would have to take away most of the ABS under the eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentry71[TK] Posted February 23, 2016 Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) It looks like the eyes are ok. On my helmet (which was precut by someone that builds these suits often), the plastic left for the top of the eye is about 8-10mm, and the bottoms are about 5-6mm. I apologize in advance for the huge pics. Edited February 23, 2016 by Sentry71 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucnak[TK] Posted February 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2016 Can I ask to see how the lens is affixed in your helmet? Also, I realized that the eyes are asymmetrical in that the "orbital" under the left eye protrudes less than for the right eye, so that seems to be why the other eye seems totally fine and I can sand it down flush but it's different with the left eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentry71[TK] Posted February 24, 2016 Report Share Posted February 24, 2016 I traced the eye sockets onto a piece of paper, then added about 1 cm around the tracings. This became the pattern to cut my lenses out. For mounting, I took a different approach than most. Most people will place screw mounts near the eyes, and use them to attach the lenses. I bought a product called Sugru - its basically a putty that hardens on exposure to air. I rolled a few balls of Sugru, pressing them inside the helmet. Next, I pressed the lenses into the putty, overlapping a bit of the putty around the edge of the lens material. After it dried for 24 hours, they don't move at all. I tried bending the lenses using a hot water bath, but apparently these lenses don't soften in boiling water... so they are still flat. Because they have the extra material around the sides, the flat lens allows me to get more circulation of air and should prevent fogging, without people being able to see into the helmet itself. Hope this pic helps: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucnak[TK] Posted February 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 Question: Am I missing two screws? Here are the contents of what I got in terms of hardware from ATA: Shouldn't I have two more screws like in the bottom middle? Two to join mask and cap/back at the ears and two at the base? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentry71[TK] Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 No, the bottom of the ear (bottom right) will hold the bottom of the cap/back together. The first, third and fourth screws (downward) are the ones on the bottom right of your pic. The second is the bottom middle. The outside will look like this when assembled. (Sorry for out of focus.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucnak[TK] Posted February 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2016 Thanks for your help, Gary! I have made some progress and am working on the ears now. Botched the left one, so I'll have to use the backup. Right one is almost good to go! Will have to wait till another night to work on it since I don't have the spare time right now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illusionz_09[TK] Posted February 26, 2016 Report Share Posted February 26, 2016 Remember, the screws are painted white after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucnak[TK] Posted February 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 Made some progress on my bucket this weekend! Though it was frustrating, I managed to get both ears on! They're far from perfect, but they'll do! I also attached my lens. Managed to make that work, despite my earlier worries. I cleaned that ear up a bit so it's a bit smoother than in the photo above. As I approach the completion of my bucket, I have two questions for you guys: Is the rim of the mic tip black or white? I've seen both. What's the best way to trim the screws? My toolbox is pretty limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted February 29, 2016 Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 I marked the screw length with a sharpie, took it out and cut it with a dremel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentry71[TK] Posted February 29, 2016 Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 Agreed with Jason - mark the screw inside the helmet, remove the screws and cut them down with whatever is handy - Dremel, hacksaw, etc. Definitely don't cut them inside the helmet. Protip - when you cut the screw, make sure you already have the nut on the screw. That way, if there is an issue with the threads in the cut area, the nut coming off should "fix" the affected area. A clean cut shouldn't give you trouble, but the nut will help if there is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucnak[TK] Posted February 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 Do you guys have recommendations for how to secure the screws for trimming? Take a piece of scrap ABS and drill it into that? I feel like that might not be solid enough. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted February 29, 2016 Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 I used a vice grip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastertk[TK] Posted February 29, 2016 Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 I believe the rim of the mic tip is white, along with the inside. Basically stand them up on a flat surface and paint the outside is how I did mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentry71[TK] Posted February 29, 2016 Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 Do you guys have recommendations for how to secure the screws for trimming? Take a piece of scrap ABS and drill it into that? I feel like that might not be solid enough. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk That should work, assuming that the scrap is thick enough. Maybe several layers, just to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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