C0bra_M3nace[TK] Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 (edited) Hey guys, So I completed an AP kit a few months ago. I love my kit, but I'm not happy with how one thing turned out and that's my gaps at the shoulder. I think the AP chest and shoulders are made a bit smaller than others which didn't end up being a bad combo for me. I've tried, but there's not much I've been able to do short of heating them (not a fan of doing that) to get those gaps down. I guess my next step at this point is looking at armour makers and try to find one that the shoulders are about 25% bigger yet still accurate enough to mesh well with my current AP kit. The thing is, there isn't very many comparison pictures to AP. Does anyone have any experience with this issue in particular or know which maker I should be looking at for a set of shoulders? Does anyone actually have a spare set of bells from a larger maker they'd sell? Thanks guys! Justin Edited May 16, 2016 by C0bra_M3nace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD42115[501st] Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Justin, welcome to my world brother, after being lied to about figment before buying the armor. i now have to replace the chest, back and shoulders to eliminate the gaps for SWAT... AP is a nice armor for someone 5'11 170lbs to 6' 190lbs if bigger we bust out of it like a sausage Im working on getting AM2.0 stuff to replace it with but the prices are nuts for us Canadians. WTF has a bigger bell for sure. The chest and back are bigger to just not big enough for me, ive got 4-5 inch gaps at each side of my chest & back lol Look at those gaps Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkrestonva[TK] Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 I agree with Chris - your best bet for larger shoulder bells is probably AM 2.0. Thing is, I don't know if they sell individual parts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD42115[501st] Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 I would buy WTF in a heart beat, Walt has been awesome to communicate with, & customer service is second to none. I just need bigger unfortunately. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C0bra_M3nace[TK] Posted May 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 (edited) I would buy WTF in a heart beat, Walt has been awesome to communicate with, & customer service is second to none. I just need bigger unfortunately.Yeah I'll shoot him a message soon and see what he would quote for a set of bells. And when I could get them. I agree with Chris - your best bet for larger shoulder bells is probably AM 2.0. Thing is, I don't know if they sell individual parts.Yeah I was thinking AM 2 as well. Kind of hoping to find someone with a set they'd part with. But I'll probably message them anyways and see if he could pull a set on his next run and what he'd charge. Edited May 17, 2016 by C0bra_M3nace 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD42115[501st] Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Yeah I'll shoot him a message soon and see what he would quote for a set of bells. And when I could get them. Yeah I was thinking AM 2 as well. Kind of hoping to find someone with a set they'd part with. But I'll probably message them anyways and see if he could pull a set on his next run and what he'd charge. Brother i just heard back from Rob at RT-Mod.. Pm incoming.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C0bra_M3nace[TK] Posted May 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Ahhh. I should have just faces my fears and heated them earlier. So I set aside my "poor baby doesn't wanna ruin his armour" attitude and heated the bells. They fit MUCHHHH better. They weren't quite tucked in enough though because of the thin elastic straps on my shoulders. So I took a piece of elastic and folded it over 4 times to make a thick elastic shoulder strap (using all I had left) and fixed one shoulder. It made for a good comparison shot anyways. Left Side - New heated shoulders (already in about half an inch than before) Right Side - Heated bell and reinforced shoulder strap (so it doesn't tug it out from under the plastic shoulder strap) I'm in love with the result and think it's Centurion approvable. Whew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C0bra_M3nace[TK] Posted May 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 (edited) Done! Fixed the other side and I'm very very very very happy with it. And overall I'm now 100% satisfied with how my kit turned out. Because the shoulder gaps were all that I didn't like. For reference. This was one of my submission photos. Which kind of doesn't count because I was standing still after they had been moved into place lol. The picture way up in the initial post shows the grossness of them better. I have a troop this weekend and will have some more pics of full kit to throw up soon Edited May 19, 2016 by C0bra_M3nace 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C0bra_M3nace[TK] Posted May 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 Some pictures from the East Coast Comic Expo in Moncton, NB. With my newly fixed shoulders. I'm SOOOOO happy with my kit now. Very proud of the work I've put into it. Didn't expect to get it done to this level. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themaninthesuitcase[Admin] Posted May 27, 2016 Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 Would you mind detailing what you did to them when heated? I have the same issue, the elastic is the right length but my shoulders push them out more than I'd like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C0bra_M3nace[TK] Posted May 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 I had a PM asking me the details I'll just copy what I said in there might as well have the process in here too for others. Hey! Very easy actually. Requires a little TLC and some patience but it's not a hard process. I boiled water in a kettle and poured it into a large bowl (salad bowl in my case) I put a little bit of cold water in so its not boiling hot. Put the bells in for about 20-30 seconds tops and then take them out and lay them on the table like this. Push in the top where my finger is and put light pressure down with you other hand where the blue dot is. I had to repeat the process about 4-5 times per shoulder bell and only needing to add a little bit more hot water. Secondly. I reinforced my shoulder straps. One piece of elastic was NOT enough for me. So I took the same stuff and folded it 4 times and I gotta say. WOW. They're just as solid as nylon strapping but they do have a little bit of play which is really nice. I also put my shoulder snap on each shoulder about 1/3 the way back from the front so it holds the shoulders forward more. Huge difference and the 4 fold let me hide the snap plate under the top fold I'll also include this picture which shows the snap placement on the shoulder straps. Hope this helps If you have any questions please feel free to ask! Justin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themaninthesuitcase[Admin] Posted May 27, 2016 Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 Thanks thats perfect. I wasn't sure where I'd need to apply the pressure. I'm guessing you dunked the whole bell? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C0bra_M3nace[TK] Posted May 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 Thanks thats perfect. I wasn't sure where I'd need to apply the pressure. I'm guessing you dunked the whole bell? Most of it yeah, but once you see where the shape is being changed you'll have a better idea of where to dunk it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK 22686 Posted May 27, 2016 Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 Those shoulder bells look excellent..nice work! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsilvius[Staff] Posted May 7, 2020 Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Thank you for this Justin, I know this is an old thread, but thank you for posting it. I was thinking about replacing my Shoulder Bells, now I'll give this a try first and see if it helps first. I like my kit, but I think I should have gone AM 2.0 or WTF instead of ATA because the chest, back and should bells seem very small on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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