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LoveMonkey's Alley Check Captain Build (AM 2.0 Armor)


LoveMonkey
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Well, after much debate, I've decided to build my armor as a TD. I love the way that they look and think this will not only look great when done, but will also be a great addition to my garrison.

I got the big brown box day about a month ago but due to family issues (see having a new baby), I haven't had time to touch it yet. I'll be meeting up with my garrison at the end of the month for an armor party. Hopefully they can get me started and pointed in the right direction so I can start working at home on my own.

GOAL: To be 501st approved by Salt Lake Comic Con (Sept 24-26, 2015)

SECONDARY GOAL: To be approved for Episode VII release in December, 2015.

Those goals will be dependent on funds to purchase the pauldron, pouches, and other supplies I'll need to get approved. For right now, the goal is the get 501st approved and then worry about a weapon and backpack. After being to a few events as a spotter, I really want to get out there in my armor.

Thank you in advance for any feedback and advice. I love the MEPD and can't wait to join the ranks.

LoveMonkey

Big Brown Box pictures below!

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Great news man. Love the brown box. Have you gone shopping for the e600, scissors,sandpaper,paint,clamps,magnets,physical therapy,and twelve step classes yet ?????

Kidding, all the best bro, and please post pics of your build :thumbsup: . We love pics around here at the precinct, that and of course our doughnuts :woot::woot:

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I've got some of the supplies but not all yet. The other Garrison members that will be at the armor party at the end of the month have quite a few supplies, so I'm waiting for the moment.

Will keep you guys updated with pictures.

Trying to get up the courage to attempt a SWAT build. Seems a bit overwhelming.

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So I found this picture here in the photo gallery of the captain I plan to build. Just to make sure I understand, to achieve P.O. or SWAT, I need to get the weathering close but not exactly 100% as shown here, correct? Seems like the major weathering is on the ab piece.

Thanks for any clarification.

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So no new progress on the build, but I did get my boots today from Imperial Boots. They look great and fit nice and snug. Once I wear them in a bit, they should be very nice to troop in. I can't recommend them enough for anyone looking for boots!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally got working on my kit today at a garrison armor party. Started with the forearms and made pretty good progress. Got them mostly trimmed and got the inner shims in place. The garrison members really prefer the ABS cement over E6000. Any thoughts on this? I trust their judgment but since I'm not very handy, I don't want to make something permanent and then have to try and fix it later.

Anyways, I forgot my camera but will hopefully have pictures up in the next day or two as I'm at work for the weekend. Stay tuned!

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That's what I was thinking.

Let me ask you guys all this. I think I know the answer but never hurts to get a second opinion. The big question I still have before I start is about sizing. I've spent an hour or so looking through the forums here and I guess I'm still not 100% sure. How exactly do you measure your different pieces before cutting and trimming them? I know that you have to trim it to fit your body, but I'm not sure where I should be looking to trim on each of the pieces and how much needs to be trimmed. I'd like it to be as accurate as possible as I go.

Thanks again!

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Finally had a chance to post some pictures of the forearm work since the armor party. Please let me know if it is looking right and where I might make some more modifications. Also, my 4-year-old is helping me hold the pieces for the pictures. duim.gif

Forearm #1 - I haven't completely trimmed it all down, so it's not ready for glue yet.

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Forearm #2 - This one was trimmed length-wise to fit my forearm. It was also fitted and trimmed width-wise. One inside cover strip was all that I have had time to glue so far.

Does it look right so far?

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Anyways, please comment and let me know where to fix anything on these forearms before I start to glue. Can't glue for a few days until my earth magnets come.

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Thanks for all the feedback. I consider the forearms my learning curve since I'm not a very handy person to begin with. They are on hold for the moment until my earth magnets come and I can begin gluing. Hopefully in the next day or two.

Today I began work on the biceps. With an infant in the home, it really cuts down on the time I can spend. I was able to get one bicep trimmed and ready to glue. I had to take out the return edge closer to the elbow because it was catching quite a bit on my undersuit and making it just difficult to slide the bicep on and off during fitting. Hopefully that wasn't a bad choice. I took about 1" off both side of both pieces. Pictures below.

Please let me know how this looks and what changes can be made. I've noticed that on the return edge up by the shoulder that they come out at an angle, pushing the two pieces out at weird angles. These will be straightened before gluing. I think this is what caused some of the overlap that was in the forearms pictures. You can see it in the first picture.

You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the feedback!

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So, magnets finally came today. Having a newborn in the house makes it hard to find time to work on this, but I was able to find an hour or so today. I finished trimming and cleaning the bicep I was working on and got one of the inner cover strips gluing. I also began trimming the other bicep based on the measurements already taken from the previous bicep.

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Here's to hoping I can find more time soon to get more done!

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So I decided to go back and start finishing the forearms and glue cover strips while I wait for the biceps to glue. I also haven't had much time to work because my newborn has been very high-maintenance and wants to be held all the time. I guess there could be worse things. duim.gif When I get more time I will get outer cover strips cut so they can be glued.

Today I took out the forearm that I was working on at the armor party. Chalk it up to inexperience and this being the first piece that I attempted to trim, which is why the cuts looks so bad. Also, some members recommended using the Dremel they had to make the cut and I decided to try it. Never really felt comfortable with it, hence the really bad cuts. I can't blame anyone but my own inexperience with the Dremel for the bad cut. I switched to the ruler and score/snap method at home using an exacto knife and felt very comfortable with it almost instantly.

Today, I used the ruler and score/snap method in an attempt to straighten up the pieces as best I could. Only took a small amount off. Got it as close as I could and didn't want to take much else off as the pieces taped together feel really good and snug as is. So I set it to glue and now we wait. As you will see in the picture, I circled an area that has a bit of a gap. I'm hoping that once both cover strips are installed and the glue cures that it won't be a big deal. If anyone has a recommendation about how to fix this or what to do going forward, that would be great. For now, i just plan to wait for the glue to dry and then install the outer cover strip. I just don't want it to come apart down the road.

Also, the inner cover strips are huge because that it what we did at the armor party. I have since gone to the 15mm that is recommended here.

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It'll be allright once you've glued the outer strip, particularly as the gap is not huge. To get this right is a little tricky since the parts are not straight but rather curved and partly wobbly. I do it the following way:

1. Test-Fit, measure and mark the 2 parts

2.Cut one half of the arm/shin/thigh

3. Test-Fit again and now use the part that you've cut already to draw a line on the other part. Make sure they're tightly attached to each other.

4. Cut the other part.

You will see that in most cases you don't get a straight line but rather a slight curve. This way you can make sure the parts fit together perfectly and you don't get gaps inbetween.

But no worries, bro. Happended to me too the first time :)

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So I found some more time today. With the help of my 5-year-old (he assisted in placing clamps on the outer cover strips), I was able to get both biceps glued and clamped for the 1st outer cover strip. Feels good to be making some real progress. Now the wait for the glue to dry begins.

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One of the cover strips seemed to not be sitting flush in the middle with just the magnets, so I threw on two of the bigger clamps. Hopefully this won't present a problem down the line, especially when I connect the two pieces and seal them together.

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I also finished trimming the other forearm. All of my magnets are currently in use so I will have to wait until tomorrow before I can begin gluing the 1st inner cover strip.

Since all of the magnets are currently in use, I decided to attempt to fit my thighs and shins. If there is one part of this process that I hate, it is sizing and fitting. Makes me so nervous that I might make the wrong marks and then cut the wrong amount off.

One of the questions I have is how to know where the thighs go. Does the cover strip face out away from my body or is it anchored on the side of my leg? And is this the same for the shins? Basically I was sitting there moving the pieces in several different directions and nothing seemed to feel right. Before I start trimming I want to make sure I put them in the right place and take the right measurements.

Also, I was about to take off the bottom edge on the thighs, as shown in the picture below. I think it won't pinch as much and will make fitting easier. I also think it won't catch on my undersuit. Is this right, do I take off these edges on all the pieces or just the forearms? I already did it with the biceps but the legs are a bit different.

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Thanks for the continued help. You guys are making this process a lot easier to tackle!

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It's been nothing but work for me the past few days. I really hate how much it slows the build down. And I don't know about anyone else, but when I go downstairs to my basement and smell the ABS scent, man do I love it!

I had a few minutes today so I applied the second inner cover strip on both biceps. Once that is done gluing, then the outer strips and some cleanup and they should be primarily done.

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Here's to hoping I find more time later this week to make more progress and fix the forearms.

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So I'm back at it tonight. Got the final outer cover strip gluing on the biceps. Needs some finishing sanding and cleanup but they are pretty much ready to go!

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After getting that to glue, I'm back at the forearms. After much debate and trying on the left forearm, which doesn't have any cover strips in place yet, I decided to trim off the back lip and make the forearm sit flat. I also trimmed a small amount more off and the opening match the right forearm pretty well. I feel pretty good about it.

Here is what it looks like with the glove and undersuit in place:

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Here is the one question I have - the front lip was removed using a Dremel, which I wasn't very comfortable with. Needless to say, the cut is not very smooth. Should I cut and even out the circled area now before doing any cover strips or should I wait until it is all glued up?

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Here's to hoping the forearm inner cover strips get to glue in the next few days, then it's off to the thighs and shins.

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So I've started working on the shins. I've identified which pieces should fit together and I've trimmed the front side.

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The question that I have at this point is how much to trim off the back of the shins. I would like to have all the trimming done before gluing to make it easy going forward. Thanks!

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Went ahead and finished gluing the front inner cover strip on each shin. They look okay and fit nice and snug. Don't know what it is but each cut makes me super nervous that I've cut too much and really messed up this expensive armor kit. Not much else to do out push on and hope my research has paid off.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok, so I've been slacking with updates, so this might be quite long. Brace yourselves!

Salt Lake Comic Con is just around the corner on Sept. 24-26. The goal is to have the armor completed by then. My garrison's GML has let us all know that if we want to troop in our armor for Comic Con, we need pictures submitted a week prior. So I've got about 3 weeks until that deadline. I feel pretty confident I can get it done in time assuming I can find the time to work on it and nothing really confuses me or slows me down. So here's to hoping!

Since the last post, I went over to a Garrison member's house and he helped me to size my chest/ab/kidney/back/butt/cod pieces, since those are a bit tricky to do yourself. In his opinion, they should not need much if any trimming as they fit pretty well. The goal is to get the straps/elastic installed in the pieces and then do any minor trimming if necessary. So that is a big plus!

Lately I've been working on the shins.

Front cover strip is installed and now I just need to install the back and the velcro to hold it shut. IMG_0368_zpscx7hjm56.jpg

I've also begun work on finishing the forearms. First inner strip on the left forearm is installed IMG_0367_zpsockirg4c.jpg

and first outer strip on right forearm as well IMG_0369_zpsjolv3l7r.jpg

As I'm making a list to try and plan what still is left to be done, I have a few questions.

1. Because of my small wrists, there is quite a gap that shows in the wrist area. I've decided to use foam to try and fill that area in. I haven't had a chance yet to go to Michaels or Joanns, but does anyone know of a good brand of high density, water resistant foam? I'd like it not to get super compressed and gross from the sweat.

2. I'll be buying the paint for the weathering in the next week. Is the paint used on the armor also usable on the boots?

3. I'm not handy with a dremel and don't feel confident using it on the bucket to cut out a teeth. Any suggestions to make this process a bit easier without using a dremel?

4. I'll be starting the bucket here soon. Any advice that I should know out the gate to make this easier?

There you have it, all of my updates. Here's to hoping the big push goes well! And thanks for all the advice you guys will give me along the way!

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So I've been putting in a lot of work over the past few days. Here we go, lots of updates here.


Started finalizing the forearms. I need to do one more outer cover strip on only the left forearm and then they should be ready for weathering next week.


Here are the forearms in progress.


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Also got the rear cover strip installed on both of the shins. I will be buying velcro tomorrow. Besides the sniper plate, the shins are also ready for weathering.


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Started on the thighs as well. I almost made the mistake of not getting the crotch curve right and placing both on the left leg. Caught myself before it was too late. I've started gluing the first inner cover strip and I will make the final fitment adjustments when it is done gluing. The left thigh feels great but the right feels a bit off. I might have cut a tiny bit too much off the back of the right thigh, but I think I can cover it with a larger inner cover strip to hold it together and still have the 25mm outer strip look just right. I'll keep you posted on Friday once the glue is fully cured on the front.


Any suggestions on how to potentially fix this if needed would be great!


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And finally, got started on the bucket. Drilled all of the holes out from their pre-indented spots. When I have magnets available tomorrow I will glue the back and cap together. Also started drilling out the teeth. Used a borrowed dremel and boy was I uncomfortable with it. I'm really happy with how they turned out and they still need a bit of filing and sanding, but considering my lack of experience with a dremel, it's a win for me.


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That's all the updates for today. I'm going on a big shopping trip tomorrow to hopefully get the rest of my needs supplies, such as webbing, elastic, paint for the bucket and weathering, foam for my forearms, etc. Then back to work tomorrow night.


I have until the 17th to be done so I can troop at Salt Lake Comic Con. 14 days remaining. Here's hoping I make it!

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After a weekend of work and no time for building, I was back at it again today. My newborn had a doctor’s visit in the afternoon, so I got some unexpected time to paint the helmet.


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I think it turned out pretty good. Accidentally put my finger in the gray teeth paint while I was doing the vocoder. I need to get some paint thinner to clean up that spot and clean up the vocoder.


Also painted the mic tips that came with the kit.


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After painting, I had some extra time, so I decided to work on the right thigh. After several test fits and even more measuring, it fit nicely with the gap at the top coming to 22 mm. With that, I decided not to add a shim and just went with a big inner cover strip. The outer cover strip will be able to cover it all up. Will be using a back strip at 25 mm, since that is what I used on the back of the shins.


What I can’t decide on is whether or not to fill in that gap with some spare ABS from the trimmings before placing the outer cover strip or just leave it be. Any thoughts?


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Lastly, my snaps I ordered arrived today. Got them from stecksstore.com, which is a leather company. Much cheaper than Tandy and I think the quality will be comparable, even though I’ve never worked with snaps before. This bag of 100 snaps and tool cost approximately $28, with priority shipping costs included. Can’t beat that deal.


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With all of that done today, I compiled a list of what needs to be done by the Comic Con submission deadline of 09/17/2015. Here goes:


1. Finish Helmet Assembly

---Faceplate Assembly

---Decals

---Inner Padding

---Seals, Green Lenses, etc.

2. Thighs

---Finish gluing inner cover strips

---Glue outer cover strips

---Attach ammo boxes

3. Minor trimming on chest and back attachment

4. Canvas belt and ammo belt attachment

5. Internal Strapping System

6. Weathering


I think that is it...Hopefully. Now the trick will be getting this list done before next Thursday. I really want to be in my armor for the Con and be apart of the Garrison photo.


One more question - I’ve been debating about cutting the cod piece from the ab, and then hiding the cut with the belt. Seems like it would offer more maneuverability. Your thoughts.


Anyways, thanks for the continued support. Hopefully I can play in the sandbox soon!

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Less than a week to go for my Salt Lake Comic Con deadline.

After some frustrations with the helmet (which I don’t want to talk about ;)), I decided to tackle the weathering today. Not all of it is done, but I was able to knock out the forearms, biceps, shoulder bells, and shins. I used pandatrooper’s method, but instead of the two layers, I did just the burnt umber dirt layer. I really like how it turned out and this is some of the most fun I’ve had with this build. Maybe it’s because the end is in sight, but I just love the way it looks.

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I also started gluing the inside snap plates for my inner strapping system. I plan on rotating the magnets I do have over the weekend so that after I’m off work on Monday night, I will have most of that gluing done.

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Here is what is left to do:

1. Finish Helmet Assembly

---Faceplate Assembly

---Decals

---Inner Padding

---Seals, Green Lenses, etc.

2. Thighs

---Attach ammo boxes

3. Minor trimming on chest and back attachment

4. Canvas belt and ammo belt attachment

5. Internal Strapping System

6. Weathering

---Thighs

---Chest

---Abs

---Kidney

---Butt

---Back

---Helmet

Looking at the list, I feel like I can hit my deadline of this Thursday. Assuming there are no major headaches or problems. Now back to work...

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Well, like in a game of poker, you have to know when to fold. I think it is time to fold in reaching my goal of being approved this week for Comic Con, which is next week. There is just too much to do and I don’t have the time to do it in. I also had quite a few setbacks since my last time working on Saturday.

After some discussion with my GML, I need to lighten and reduce my weathering. I’m not sure if I can use what I have or if I should just remove all the paint and start over. When I get a chance to go back to Michael’s and get some more paint colors I’ll be able to try and see if I can use what I have so far. So there’s a good couple of hours that I spent on weathering that I need to redo.

Then, today, I had a garrison member come and try and help me finish the strapping system. We found out that the snaps I ordered online are not right. What I mean is that the post is too long and when you try and flatten it, it is too big and overlaps at the wrong point, not allowing the snap to fully close between the male and female parts. You can see in the picture below in the webbing where the post is right up against the lip of the snap after being bent using snap pliers, and does not allow it to close properly. You can also see the comparison of the black snap I bought and the extra Dritz snap that he had available and the difference in the post size. Be careful ordering from stecksstore, not because they are bad quality, but they may not be the right snap for the nylon webbing material I am using but might be a better fit for a thick piece of leather.

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I had to remove all the snap plates that I had already installed, thus setting me back a few more hours and I now need to go buy a completely new set of snaps and new webbing as I used all of it to make the snap plates.

Due to some issues at home, I was not able to make it to the store in time tonight to buy replacement supplies. I had taken the night off from work to get more work done and now I can’t do anything to make progress tonight. Needless to say I’m quite discouraged tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

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