edlitmus Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 I came home to a beautiful sight today! This is a set for my wife (who can fit into it. I alas have to loose a few... I will try and post pics of my progress as I go, and I will keep a Flickr set of the pics updated here: TE2 Armor Set This is going to be fun, if a bit nerve wracking! Thanks Mr. X!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trooperstormy Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaskaguy[501st] Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Have fun I know I did, The first cut is the hardest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runnriottt Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Woo Hoo! Quick, Unpack that thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TK-2416 Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 congrats!! I will be getting mine very soon... so will follow your progress. Good luck! cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlitmus Posted July 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 No sooner had I unpacked the armor to bask in its glory then I realized: I have no idea how to trim this stuff. I am used to ABS, not HIPS! Oh noes! What to do? Ask the man himself, naturally! Q: Should I use a utility knife or can I use a dremel? Mr. X: "I use both - however, I'm very old school and the majority of my serious trimming is done with a good old Xacto knife (and plenty of sharp blades)." And: Mr. X: "Also, sandpaper, sandpaper, sandpaper. I usually start out smooth the edges with a 100 grit. Then finish up with 250 or 300. I've never had to use primer to paint the body armor but you can if you wish. The Rustoleum Professional Glossy White has become my favorite paint. TE recommended that or KRYLON Fusion." Sweet! Now I know. And knowing is half the battle! Yo Joe! (Sorry, I'm always a bit goofy in the morning...) Trimming begins this evening. I'm thinking of starting on smaller pieces first (hand back, thermal det, etc). See you then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThayNerd[TK] Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Nice. I'll be getting another one of his helmets soon! I look forward to watching your build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stukatrooper Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Treat it like ABS but just be a little more gentle with it.The HIPS will not flex as much as ABS.Keep away from the dremel. Take a look at my TM build if you havnt already lots of questions answered for you. STUKATROOPERS TM BUILD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperTrooper Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 I've found that HIPS is more difficult to score and snap than ABS as it tries to tear. I haven't had any problems using a dremel on it though, in fact it's my favorite tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlitmus Posted July 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Awesome info guys! I will be sure to take care when I get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troopermaster Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 When trimming HIPS, I always used tin snips to cut the majority of the flashing off the armour. I then used the sanding drum on my Dremel to fine tune the edges and scrapped off the rough bits with a Stanley knife. After that I'd finish off with some fine sandpaper for a nice smooth edge.....job done I use the same method for ABS BTW. Also, have you seen how well Rolfs' TE2 armour has shined up with just polishing it? Looks fantastic if you ask me and better than going to the trouble of painting it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlitmus Posted July 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 Okay! As soon as I got off work I started working on the smaller pieces; handbacks, forearms and upper arms. First a word of caution: wear gloves when trimming armor, or this might happen to you: That circular scar used to not be there. It hurt. A lot. Okay, enough about that... Handbacks: Marked: Scored: Ready to be sanded: The upper arms were a little tricky. The one on the left in the next pic is easy to see where to trim, but the other is a little bit tricky, so I had to do it by eye: The same thing happens with the forearm pieces, one side is easy to see where to trim, the other not so much. Tomorrow I start on the calves and thighs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk0000[501st] Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 That looks so fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runnriottt Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 Man, I cant wait to go to work on my armor(s)... All that plastic... MMMMM.... And you are in Illinois... Man it dosen't get any better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPDblues[TK] Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 No sooner had I unpacked the armor to bask in its glory then I realized: I have no idea how to trim this stuff. I am used to ABS, not HIPS! Oh noes! What to do? Ask the man himself, naturally! Q: Should I use a utility knife or can I use a dremel? Mr. X: "I use both - however, I'm very old school and the majority of my serious trimming is done with a good old Xacto knife (and plenty of sharp blades)." And: Mr. X: "Also, sandpaper, sandpaper, sandpaper. I usually start out smooth the edges with a 100 grit. Then finish up with 250 or 300. I've never had to use primer to paint the body armor but you can if you wish. The Rustoleum Professional Glossy White has become my favorite paint. TE recommended that or KRYLON Fusion." Sweet! Now I know. And knowing is half the battle! Yo Joe! (Sorry, I'm always a bit goofy in the morning...) Trimming begins this evening. I'm thinking of starting on smaller pieces first (hand back, thermal det, etc). See you then! As the Master himself told me... "Don't forget: Lines of illusion, that's the secret." T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlitmus Posted July 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 As the Master himself told me... "Don't forget: Lines of illusion, that's the secret." T Yes, sir! I am paying close attention to those lines, I think those are the real secret to the proper look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPDblues[TK] Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 When trimming HIPS, I always used tin snips to cut the majority of the flashing off the armour. I then used the sanding drum on my Dremel to fine tune the edges and scrapped off the rough bits with a Stanley knife. After that I'd finish off with some fine sandpaper for a nice smooth edge.....job done I use the same method for ABS BTW. Also, have you seen how well Rolfs' TE2 armour has shined up with just polishing it? Looks fantastic if you ask me and better than going to the trouble of painting it! Besides the tin snips that troopermaster recommends, I use a pair of modeling scissors that I purchased from HOBBY COMPANY. They're curved. The guys who do radio-controlled cars highly recommended them. I NEVER leave home without them... I even have a pair of titanium coated scissors. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK-4510[TK] Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 Looking forward to your progress!!! WoooooHoooo!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlitmus Posted July 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 Not too much progress to report as I have been busy all weekend trooping for a fan film, but I did manage to get the left thigh trimmed and the front glued: I will have to shim the back a bit, but I am going to wait until I have more done elsewhere before I get to that. I can't believe how skinny those actors must have been. There is no way I could fit into this suit. (sniff...) Ah, well. I can live vicariously through my wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin[Admin] Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 Man, I just *love* build threads, and a TE2 one to boot? I'm so on this Did you see oneal's AP tutorial on http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=3404 ? That should help as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlitmus Posted July 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Man, I just *love* build threads, and a TE2 one to boot? I'm so on this Did you see oneal's AP tutorial on http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=3404 ? That should help as well. Yeah, that's a good one. I am pretty much following every build thread I can to get ideas and advice. This suit is much trickier than anything I have done to date. I want to be sure to get it right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlitmus Posted July 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 The helmet arrived the other day (thanks 4510! you do amazing work!) and I got it painted! I also managed to finish the upper arms. I'm getting the shin pieces going and trimming the big pieces later today. Once I get all the pieces trimmed and the edges sanded, I will move on to paint. One question, what are everyone's thought on using primer or not? I know there have been some issues with paint flaking off, would primer help? Or is the flaking due to using the wrong paint? I'm planing on using Rustoleum Professional for the whole suit and giving it a nice long cure time. If anyone has thoughts on the primer vs no primer and flaking problems, please chime in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk0000[501st] Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 You should "lightly" sand and primer to prevent flaking. It will help by making a "bond". Plenty of info on that arround here. For those who are going to use an "airgun" to paint with, i would suggest adding a flexorizer to the paint to prevent cracking of the paint if the armor was to bend while dressing up and trooping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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