TK-459

Good job. I also really like the weathering.

If you do not want to permanently attach the boxes or hinge them, you can also use 6 decent sized zip ties. Attach the bottom sides securely to the frame and then use two ties through the tops and bottoms at the middle and two ties on each the upper and lower edges.

Great job, I really like your pack.

Sanding with the dremel takes practice. I usually set the dremel at about 80% for the sanding wheel and hold it like a pencil. When you get close to your edge use a lighter touch with it. Also, you can at least try to get close to your cut lines and then finish the edge with sandpaper.

Great tips all the way around. Paint sticks sound perfect, I'll go pick some up. TS0842, regarding gluing and velcro: Personally, I avoid velcro as much as possible. It may take up some more space packing solid parts, but what really counts is how the armor wears. I glue biceps on both sides, lower arms on both sides, thighs on both sides, and the calves on the front only. I run a strip of white industrial strength velcro down the back of the calves for closure, but that is one of few places I use velcro. I think that most people do the same but others can chime in. Just be sure to test fit everything before commiting the glue. Aside from that, its all snaps and a few rivets. I'll post more pics down the road.

thanks guys

Word . Looks great. Way better than a pickle surprise.

Both good advice, thanks. I probably should have kept this in my build thread. My bad.

Can you guys help me determine the spacing for the straps holding the chest and back together? I'll be running 2" white elastic between. This is how I have it taped up right now... Thanks!

Those parts look great Mike.

I am really most interested in how the Fett comes out. The amount of detail that helmet requires is staggering. I'll tip my cap if it comes out great, but to be honest I still prefer building helmets myself.

Thanks for the tip. I am guessing you are talking about a rather slim piece of wood? I am trying to picture how it would conform to the curves. And thanks td252

There is enough leather if you wanted to, but with a bit more gap between than the real thing. Something like this...

Do you have a picture of your pouches? A button move seems trivial. The biggest difference to me is the shape of the flaps, although the bottom of the movie flaps look more rounded to me than a stock stolla wein. You could trace the shape of a stolla wein flap and lay a template over your flaps to get an idea of how the change would look, assuming your flap has enough material. I have been thinking about this modification on my pouches.

No dumpster digging? Dang, thats where I find all the best stuff

i have some if you need it. I actually just picked some up at a local hardware store but I really appreciate the offer.

I know what you mean. I usually spend a long time on a project like this, and it's usually the first cut that is the hardest. It's much less daunting if you just focus on a piece at a time. Before you know it, you're done. Things are definetely a bit faster the second time around, and I am pushing myself a bit more.

I made a lot of progress during some classic late hours and long days. My bucket is complete aside from the hovi-mix tips I'm holding out for and eventual dirtiness. I'm not a big fan of too much gloss, so all of the grey helmet details are painted with Krylon Grey Primer and outlined with pinstriping. The chin is Satin Krylon Fusion Black. The vent stickers that come with the AP are too far spaced if you want to use all 13. I wanted to solve it off the helmet, so this is what I did. First I cut all the vents apart. Then I layed down a bed of post-its with the sticky side up. I drew a line and arranged the vents on the post-its so that they were the correct length. Once I had them set down, I ran a peice of scotch tape along the top. After I had one set up I used it as a template for the other. Finally, I removed all the backings, gave the surface a little windex, and pushed em down until the stickiness took. It was a bit tedious, but they came out great. Masking, oh the joy...but its always great to peel off the masking when you take your time. To anyone painting this way, be especially careful in masking the teeth. Be sure to wrap tape strips through the teeth gaps and across corners. If you just tape across the teeth, you are very likely to get bleeding. Results Now I have this (beautiful) mess to deal with. Just finished the rough cuts.

Thanks guys. Its always rewarding getting these things done. Now it's time to get the armor back up. I think I am going to work on that for a bit and then come back to the pack while wearing the upper armor.

Al....most...finished. Just a few details to go. I'm going to have to replace my mortor tube with one of the ice tubes you guys are using. I tried to section a plastic flourescent tube around a 2" steel pipe by overlapping two pieces, but a few hours after removing the pipe and just as I finished assembling everything I started to notice stress fractures in the thin plastic. Oh well. I decided to put the top cap on the mortor tube to keep things out of there. I also have to get the straps on this thing and see how it feels. I feel really good about how the pack came out. I'll really celebrate once I can actually put it on my back. Thanks again for all the great resources here. The gallery and info really helped out.

Awesome, found it. I dig the metal reinforced...helps strengthen up the bucket. Thanks.

Thanks. Does anyone know where to get the lower trim that comes on the FX buckets? I remember it being stronger but more flexible than the trim that comes with this bucket.

Out with the old, in with the new. I do not intend to do a complete build up, but I wanted a thread to share miscellaneous pictures and info along the way. Like many, I started with the bucket. Luckily, I also have a really nice bucket to compare to as I go. I decided to do a medium to low brow and used the SDS as a template for the eye cutouts. I really like their asymmetry...it gives a natural expression. Here's my progress so far.

Wow. Somehow I missed this post but that is just great.