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Mayo's ANH Stunt (AP) build


MakeNoiseMan

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On 1/20/2019 at 12:27 PM, CableGuy said:

Good luck on the 8th Feb. I’m sure you’ll have a great time, in kit or out. :-)

 

Your blaster’s looking really nice. I also watched that video before painting mine and there are some good ideas in there.

 

Just a couple of small things for your consideration. The t-tracks on the screen used E-11s were plastic, so would not have the metal effect weathering. (Same goes for the grip and the rear half of the Hengstler, neither of which you’ve weathered, by the looks of it).

 

Also, although many hengstler counters had fallen off during filming (as, rumour has it, they were simply hot glued on), some of the E-11 reference material indicates that the hengstler counted would sit a little higher than you have yours. Following the FISD E-11 Blaster reference, the top of the Hengstler counter would line up approximately with the centre line of the scope. As below;

 

Thanks for the tips! I can remove the weathering from the T-tracks no problem (I think—if not, I'll paint over them with black).

As for the hengstler (that's a new word for me!), I don't think I can move it. The whole piece came as one resin model from Quest Design. If any fellow owners of this model can correct me on that, I'd be glad to hear it :-)

 

15 hours ago, ABS80 said:

Great job!!!!

 

8 hours ago, Pretzel said:

That's awesome. Great work on those snaps. I love the reinforcement. 

Thanks so much!! I appreciate it!

 

6 hours ago, Bud Spaklur said:

Brendan- I cant believe how quickly you’re getting this build done. As for the blaster- what’re your plans with it?

 

I feel like we should start a pool and take bets on when you’ll complete and submit the build for approval.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Haha! I promise I'm not rushing. Just super motivated! As for the blaster, I don't currently have plans to do more work on it—unless I am missing something for L3 :-)

 

 

Today, my drop boxes had finished drying, so I got them hooked up to the belt. They seem like they'll do a fine job of storing small things like cash and ID! The velcro on top keeps them securely shut, so no worry of anything falling out. In fact, they're a little too hard to open, but I don't anticipating needing to open them mid-troop often, if ever.

 

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Like my other elastics, I wanted to reinforce these straps with ABS. I cut out 1" squares to fasten into the elastic.

 

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Because of the extra layer of ABS, my pop rivets didn't reach all the way through, so I used chicago screws instead. I also put a small dab of superglue at the top and bottom edges of the canvas belt to stop the elastics from sliding out of place.

 

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And here's everything I have so far! It feels so cool to wear. 

 

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Lastly for today, I got the first pieces glued that I'll need for the tab and slot on my right side kidney/ab. Tomorrow I'll glue the top plates on these pieces and they should slide between each other nicely.

 

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That's it for now! I've just started cutting out the thigh pieces. More to come later on. Thanks in advance for your critiques! :-)

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Hi everyone! Small update. I got started on my thighs. 

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Got them fitted comfortably and the raised cover-strip section is 20mm.

 

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Cut some inner strips out of scrap ABS and glued them in.

 

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Question—would it be acceptable to use PlasticWeld and close up the disconnect of the thigh trim (just beneath the cover strips)? I know a small "crack" there is fine, but in this regard I dig the "idealized" look. Sanded and painted white, I think it would blend in well. If this is a no-no, it shan't be done! 

Lastly, I glued on the remaining bits for my ab/kidney tab and slot. Hopefully it works as I envision! If not, it's no biggie to re-do.

 

hUzxKon.jpg

 

That's all for now! Thanks troopers :-)

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21 hours ago, Thumpy~ said:

Very good, detailed build!

Thanks so much! :-)

 

Today was leg day! Last night I got the front of my thighs connected via the inner cover strip. I'm thinking I'll glue on the front finishing strip too before I close them at the back, just to ensure maximum sturdiness along the way.

 

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This morning, I got started on my shins. 

 

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I trimmed them out and fitted them. They fit quite well by following Mark's trim lines at the back and trimming to a 20mm raised edge along the front. 

 

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After that, I cut out and installed the inner cover strips. For the front of the shins, I'll be using a ~15mm strip as normal, but I cut 25mm strips for the backs. I'll be closing them with velcro, and plan to install velcro to both the outer and inner cover strips at the back of the shins. I'm hoping it'll be an extra strong connection that way. I also made sure that I was gluing in such a way that my velcro cover strips will "overlap" towards the inside, as per the CRL requirement.

 

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Lastly, my tab and slot system had finished drying and I was relieved to find it worked as intended!

 

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Now the ab and kidney close quite evenly together. Huzzah!

More updates to come later. Thanks everyone! :-)

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On ‎1‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 11:53 PM, MakeNoiseMan said:

Question—would it be acceptable to use PlasticWeld and close up the disconnect of the thigh trim (just beneath the cover strips)? I know a small "crack" there is fine, but in this regard I dig the "idealized" look. Sanded and painted white, I think it would blend in well. If this is a no-no, it shan't be done! 

You are clear to proceed (abs-paste would work a treat):salute:

crHOCn1.jpg

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Hi everyone!

Been a little while since I've posted an update, but I have made sure to get some work done each day! Lots of the time it was just glueing and clamping a new part of the thighs and shins, so the day-to-day updates wouldn't have been very meaty. Here is the montage! Really feeling like I'm starting to get close now.

After finishing my tab and slot for the ab/kidney connection, I thought I'd go ahead and get the little "V-tabs" the keep the ab and butt plates in alignment. I can't remember which thread I saw this image on first, but it's what I emulated.

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I cut out some tabs and prepared them for a hot water bath.

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Since I was going to be boiling the water anyway, I thought I'd first prepare my thigh ammo pack and get it ready for its bath as well. Here's how it came from AP:

 

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Scored, snapped, and rounded the bottom corners:

 

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Then into the bath they went! Here is the result:

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I glued them into the butt plate and have since done a test fit. I am pleased!

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By this point, my thighs had finished curing and were ready for cover strips. Firstly, I used PlasticWeld to fill in the cracks in the bottom trim, let it harden, and then sanded it smooth (thanks for the a-okay on that, Daniel!). I went ahead and did the same to the back of the thighs as well, even though I might be trimming some off to make walking easier. Now, in case I don't, it will look clean like the front.

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And here they are after hardening and being sanded:

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I will be painting those junctures pure white so that they blend in with the ABS. I did a test fit to figure out my strapping, and then started gluing cover-strips on. That was a few days ago, so I'll jump right to the finished photos. (I did some cleaning up at the top, front ends between photos. That's why they look messy from behind in the second photo).

 

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Strapping-wise, I'll be following Eric's advice and running my thigh straps along the side of my legs instead of the front. I measured the distance to my belt and prepared 2" elastic straps, reinforced with ABS as usual. The distance was 4" for me, plus an extra 1/2" inside the thigh to connect to the snaps.

 

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I used the same method to make straps to connect my biceps to my forearms. I didn't originally think I would need these, but I've reconsidered. It's hard to predict how much they'll twist over the course of a troop. Better safe than sorry! Thanks for everyone's input on this way back when.

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Then I set all the snaps, including the male ones that will glue inside the armour. I had to buy one last pack of Line 24s for this. That should be all now, though. At least I hope so—that was over $150 dollars worth of snaps over the course of the build! Of course, I did break a few. Or several. 

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You'll notice I accidentally set the snaps in one of the thigh straps backwards (grrrrr). I thought about re-doing it, but ultimately it's such a small detail I don't think it's worth the time just to make it sit slightly more flush against my leg. Plus, I can just use that one on my left side so it's covered by the holster and isn't seen anyway. 

And that basically just leaves the shins! After that, I'm a couple of knees and some white paint away from submitting my application photos. By the way—I saw on the bulletin that applications won't be processed until after the 19th of February while the Legion elections are taking place. Duly noted!

I elected to use velcro for my shin closures. I think they look good enough, but I took some pictures to get your opinions of them. I wish they closed up a little more flush, but I think that's simply a drawback of velcro and that hooks or magnets could/should be used for a tighter connection. All the same, velcro was the most functionally desirable for me so I stuck with my path. If they need work, or if anyone has any suggestions, please do let me know. 

 

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Lastly, I got the finishing strips cut out, sanded and glued in place.

 

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And that's where we are for right now! Whew, that post was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. In hindsight maybe I should have broken this into smaller posts throughout the week. Thanks all for your continued feedback and critique. You guys rock!

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Nice work. Progressing nicely. :-)

Coverstrip corners can vary from build to build, however, here’s some lovely reference pics if you wanted to angle those corners a little.

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Shins look great, btw. :-)

Keep up the good work.

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As I have mentioned before, you have one incredible build thread going here, Brendan!  If I could (yet again) make a few small suggestions, they would be:

1.  Trim down the tops of your thighs a bit.  Those sharp points will poke into your legs.

 

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It will not affect approval, but the thigh ammo pack return edges could be trimmed as well.

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On 1/28/2019 at 3:27 PM, wook1138 said:

Looking great.  You are getting so close!  The shins look fine at the back.  :duim:

 

And yeah, that is a lot of snaps. :P

Thanks!! I am really feeling it now! :-)
 

On 1/28/2019 at 3:39 PM, CableGuy said:

here’s some lovely reference pics if you wanted to angle those corners a little.

Thanks Dan! I contemplated angling my cover strip corners back when I did my forearms, but (as long as it's okay with L3) I think I prefer the straighter edge. :-)
 

On 1/28/2019 at 5:56 PM, justjoseph63 said:

Trim down the tops of your thighs a bit.  Those sharp points will poke into your legs.

 

It will not affect approval, but the thigh ammo pack return edges could be trimmed as well.

 

Thanks Joseph! :-D Yeah, my thighs look real poke-y from behind in that photo. They have been cleaned up and smoothened out! I just forgot to take an up-to-date picture. As for the ammo pack, thanks for the note! I have now done so (pictured below). 

 

On 1/28/2019 at 7:06 PM, gmrhodes13 said:

hope those V tabs work, it's helped a few of my guys locally ;) 

Right on! Yes, they were great in my last test-fit! 

 

 

Hi everyone! Almost there! Firstly, the cover strips finished curing on my shins.

 

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Which meant .... it was time to tackle the dreaded sniper knee plate. I haven't necessarily been procrastinating it, since I've been building from head-to-toe, buuut it I've read enough AP build threads to know that this was gonna be a tricky step.

 

Here it is as it comes from AP:

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And after trimming:

 

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I took the hot water bath route. As you can see, the right "wing" of the knee plate lines up just fine on the left shin, but the left wing doesn't sit nicely at all unless I tilt the whole thing on a diagonal. 

 

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So into the water it went. I was gently bending the right wing higher while bending the left wing lower. The result:

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Good enough for me! I applied e6000 to my three connection points and clamped it in place. It's not pictured, but I also trimmed a little more off the ends of the wings to make them straighter and align more with the shin. 

 

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Last weekend, I headed to Home Depot and picked up the highly-recommended, "standard-issue" TK transportation unit: the Husky 50 gallon mobile job box. What an awesome looking crate for Imperial luggage!

 

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Unfortunately, it runs a little more costly in Canada than in the States (just under $180 CAD after tax), but as many here have wisely pointed out, it would be crazy to put all this time and money into a costume and then be stingy when it comes to proper, safe transportation for it. In the photo above, you can also see the 1.5" foam sheets, black fabric and Jef Bond 88 spray adhesive that I picked up at our local craft warehouse. I'll be using those materials to cut out cushions and then lining the box with them. 

 

After measuring all my rectangles, I cut out little notches where appropriate so that they would sit nicely and flatly in the case. I also left openings so that the tool tray could still fit properly inside.

 

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Then I laid out my fabric and glued the foam to it with the Jef 88. 

 

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Then I glued the cushion into place (this one inside the lid), also with Jef 88.

 

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Lastly, I repeated the process for the five remaining cushions. Ta-da!

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Sorry that it's a little hard to see in there! My flash wasn't co-operating with me.

 

As I get closer to the end of the build, I've got a little laundry list of tasks to wrap up. Yesterday, I did the following:

Trimmed some more off my thigh ammo pack (thanks again, Joseph!):

 

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Cleaned the weathering off of the T-tracks, grip and the rear of the hengstler counter on my E-11 (thank you Dan for pointing that out!):

 

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Removed the ABS reinforcement from my forearm straps, because they were too thick and digging into my arms uncomfortably (the bicep ends were just fine):

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And lastly, got the hook velcro glued onto my boots where they will fasten to my shins to prevent twisting:

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Once the knee plate is finished curing, I'll get the soft velcro glued inside the shins. Also, not pictured, I shortened up my thigh garter straps. I love having them positioned on the sides of my legs (thanks Eric!), but the 4" I measured earlier was too long. Probably since the straps are elastic and can stretch. I shortened them to almost half of what they were before and the fit is much better! I'll post pictures with my next update. 

 

Today, I'll be painting my ab/kidney rivets and the thigh junctures white. I also plan to get my thigh ammo pack installed, and those rivets will be painted white, too. After that, I think all I need to do is glue the velcro inside the shins for the boot connection and ... that might be it! I'm sure I'm forgetting some things and will think of them along the way. Regardless, I think it's realistic to predict that I could be taking my submission photos this weekend. Hype!!

Thanks for all your help, everyone!

Edited by MakeNoiseMan
grammar
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The knee plate can be difficult - you did an excellent job with it!  I also found that gluing the front (and maybe one side) first - waiting a couple of days for the glue to really set - and then gluing the remainder helped to line it up as well. 

 

Looking forward to seeing the completed kit! :popcorn:

 

 

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Fantastic work on the calves and thigh ammo pack, Brendan.  Not sure if you were aware, but while getting suited up for a troop you can extend the handle on the bin and the tray fits perfectly inside.  This keeps it handy/accessible and still gives you access to your armor inside the bin.  Be sure to push the handle in snug after putting it in though.

I had my bin for almost 3 months before I figured out I could do this, lol.

 

bFEqLHF.jpg?1

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12 minutes ago, wook1138 said:

The knee plate can be difficult - you did an excellent job with it!  I also found that gluing the front (and maybe one side) first - waiting a couple of days for the glue to really set - and then gluing the remainder helped to line it up as well. 

 

Looking forward to seeing the completed kit! :popcorn:

Thanks thanks! :-D Ooo yeah, I can see how gluing it on in stages would be advantageous. If for any reason I have to re-do mine, I'll keep that in mind! All the same, I will take your advice and let the knee plate sit clamped an extra day so it (hopefully) sets really strongly. :)

 

8 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

Fantastic work on the calves and thigh ammo pack, Brendan.  Not sure if you were aware, but while getting suited up for a troop you can extend the handle on the bin and the tray fits perfectly inside.  This keeps it handy/accessible and still gives you access to your armor inside the bin.  Be sure to push the handle in snug after putting it in though.

I had my bin for almost 3 months before I figured out I could do this, lol.

 

bFEqLHF.jpg?1

Whaaaaat! Thanks for pointing that out!! That looks extremely handy and I never would have thought to try it. Excellent!

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Updates for today!

Firstly, I painted the PlasticWeld on my thighs. Nice and white now!

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With that done, I started on the thigh ammo pack. There are no guide spots on the AP thigh ammo pack for drill holes, so I used photos from Ukswrath's ANOVOS build to approximate where they should go. My holes ended up being 10mm from the top and 15mm from the back edge.

 

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Then I lined up the ammo pack with the right thigh and marked and drilled the holes.

 

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Installed it with the supplied AP split rivets:

 

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I added some e6000 to the front of the thigh where it makes contact with the ammo pack to keep it in place (even though it held still pretty well on its own).

 

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And lastly, I painted the rivets white. At this time, I also painted the ab and kidney rivets.

 

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I also got the soft velcro glued into the shins where they will fasten to the boots.

 

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And ... that might be it! Tomorrow, once everything is finished drying, I'll do a test fit to make sure I'm not forgetting anything. It'll be the first time I wear the thighs and shins together, so I'll find out how well I can walk and if I need to cut any out of the backs for mobility. Other than that, I think it's on to submission photos! Woohoo!

Edited by MakeNoiseMan
grammar
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1 hour ago, MakeNoiseMan said:

 

Other than that, I think it's on to submission photos! Woohoo!

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/43831-tk-pre-approval-program-overview/  :duim:

 

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Hey guys!

This morning I got to do my first complete test fit! Woohooo! 

My sniper knee has been curing for a couple of days, so I think it's safe to remove the clamps. Here is my first fit of the legs all together:

 

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I didn't have any problems with my sniper knee getting caught behind my left thigh, but my left knee was getting pinched between the two pieces as I walked around. I glued some leftover foam from my transport bin inside the left shin and it seems to have resolved the issue. :-)

 

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On the subject of cutting out some of the back trim for better mobility: I am able to walk around just fine with them left as they are. I can also walk up and down my stairs, but I have to go slower and rely pretty heavily on the hand rail. Is this normal/sufficient mobility for a TK? I like the aesthetic of the leg pieces being un-cut, but of course I don't want to run into any issues mid-troop!

 

And my full-suit up!

 

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I have a little bit of work left to do inside the armour. Unfortunately, the "slot" in my tab-and-slot came off. The tab alone seems to do the job just fine, but I plan to glue that back in anyway as insurance. Also, I think I'll use some more of that leftover foam to cushion up the interior. I can't see anything wrong with extra comfort! :-)

These final edits shouldn't take too long. If you guys see anything in these photos that needs addressing, please let me know! Otherwise, I'll be on track to take submission photos this weekend and I'll see you all over in the Requesting Pre-Approval section!!! 

Thanks again so, SO much for the help you all have given over the last several weeks. You've all helped a dream come true for me and I couldn't have done it without you! Rock on troopers!! 

 

 

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Looks good!  As for the back of the thighs - if you can get up stairs and you want to keep them untrimmed - then don't trim them.  You can always trim them down the road if you want -  it is much harder adding the plastic back in. ;)

 

For your approval pictures, make sure you keep your leg pieces and arms lined up nice - in other words, get someone to help with the pictures who can spot these things for you.  Make sure your shoulder bells are pretty much touching your shoulder bridge and there is minimal black (within reason) showing between the shoulder bell and chest.

 

I can't see anything in the picture above that would hold you back from basic approval - the armor appears to fit your body well and that is the most important thing.  You can always post in the pre-approval section to be sure.

 

Good luck!

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