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TB... or not TB... a TB W.I.P.


Cray

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Good Lookin' hardware.

 

Is that resin or hard rubber?

I'm not too sure. Good ol' NegativeEleven on this forum whipped it up for me and I will say I was honestly pleased with it. The gent had it done and shipped in a very timely manner. I couldn't recommend him enough!

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Really that blaster doesn't look half bad at all. Just need to go over it with some paint and it will look right as rain! Glad to see your progress coming along.

I have EVERYTHING now with the exception of my soft parts which has turned into a debacle since I got it from a vendor taking a lot of heat right now. According to his time frame, it should have arrived almost a week ago. Just waiting to hear back from him now about what his post office is telling him. Tryin' to stay positive.

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Glad you like it. It's a little lower quality than I like to ship, but I am crunched for time on some other projects right now. A little spot putty (automotive section at walmart) and some sand paper will have it right as rain.

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Glad you like it. It's a little lower quality than I like to ship, but I am crunched for time on some other projects right now. A little spot putty (automotive section at walmart) and some sand paper will have it right as rain.

No doubt! I plan on letting my brother have a go at it since he's all about that stuff. He helped me put the decals on my helmet and whatnot since I'm way to obsessive on some things! LOL

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well, I got my first set of soft parts and I'm not too sure where to begin. Expect some pics coming in either today or tomorrow afternoon. Initial thoughts - flight suit and vest are snug. Cummerbund, I think, swallows me. But I'm not expert so I'll turn to you guys! See ya soon!

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And here we go.... just the tip of the iceberg.

 

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Now, since the pictures have been taken, I knocked out the bracket holding the suspenders together so that they can slide underneath the armor. The cummerbund, I feel, is a bit on the short size but I could be wrong. When I finally pulled it up high enough under the armor, it left me in a *very* uncomfortable spot to say the least. This might be the norm, however... I just don't know. I will say that the shoulders of my armor give me grief in that they don't sit flush against me. They rise up a little and leave a gap that has my OCD ripping it's hair out.

 

The biggest downfall I feel that is occurring right now is the flight suit itself. It's tight. Coupled with the vest, I can barely lean over without the fabric being pulled tight to the point I can no longer bend. I have another set of soft parts being whipped up so I'm hoping this will fix that problem completely.

 

I'm going to start working on my belt; attaching the thermal detonator to the back and getting my thigh boxes situated in the meantime. I'm also pondering if trimming the shoulder 'arms' would help get rid of the little gap between my shoulders and armor.

 

Still a ways to go but a journey is one step at a time.

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Sounds like you need to trim a little bit of the leg the off of the shoulder straps on either the back or chest armor. I would start with back, and go just a little at a time so you don't wind up pulling the chest armor higher than the top of the bund.

 

If you are worried about height of bund, then definitely don't attach the pouches to it. The will pull it down. My pouches hang from inside the chest armor.

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Sounds like you need to trim a little bit of the leg the off of the shoulder straps on either the back or chest armor. I would start with back, and go just a little at a time so you don't wind up pulling the chest armor higher than the top of the bund.

 

If you are worried about height of bund, then definitely don't attach the pouches to it. The will pull it down. My pouches hang from inside the chest armor.

Yuppers. I got a dremel lined up for that task so it can be taken care of by this weekend, me hopes.

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Careful with the dremel for sure. I was using my cordless (which is only 2 speed) on my thigh boxes and started to melt them more than grind anything away. A variable speed will give you much more finesse.

 

An exacto or lexan scissors work fine. After the dremel incident I got gunshy and got a pair of curved lexan scissors for the rest of my trimming

 

 

 

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After you trim, you could also heat those shoulders a bit and flatten the arch to get it closer. I found that once I had the t strap and shoulder "bridge covers" on, they didn't pop up as much.

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After you trim, you could also heat those shoulders a bit and flatten the arch to get it closer. I found that once I had the t strap and shoulder "bridge covers" on, they didn't pop up as much.

My brother actually suggested the same thing. I was hesitant due to the fact that it's me trying to change the shape of the armor and I was like, "I'll leave fingerprints with my luck." And I might go the exacto route then cause that dremel, especially to a new user, could be rather dangerous to the kit.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yet another update and yet another hiccup in this journey. To say that this journey is closing in some way, shape or form is an understatement. >_<

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  • 5 months later...

I have another set of soft parts being made but after losing a bit of weight, the first set of soft parts fit a little better (not maximum comfort however). That being said, I'm going to pop some pictures up on Thursday in the pre-clearance section for input after I do a little tweaking.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Okay, guys, I would love to get some critiques and suggestions!!

 

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I plan on trimming the shoulders down a bit more (especially in the back) and I am working on the placement of the armor bits (attaching them with velcro). I'm actually taking the suit for a run tomorrow at a local comic event so I'll toss some pics in after everything is on just a final bit of judgment from my peers but a preliminary feel would be awesome to have!

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It looks like your right thigh box is lower than the left, but that might be because the belt is a little off kilter, and the bund is a little bunchy in the back, but overall it looks good, Brother!

 

I think it's mainly a matter of practicing getting everything on and situated. Nice work. Keep the pics coming!

 

 

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It looks like your right thigh box is lower than the left, but that might be because the belt is a little off kilter, and the bund is a little bunchy in the back, but overall it looks good, Brother!

 

I think it's mainly a matter of practicing getting everything on and situated. Nice work. Keep the pics coming!

 

The left box also seemed a bit off in the picture. I'm not sure if it is wonky or if it's the belt being slightly off but I will check it out a bit more tomorrow! The bund is another story all together unfortunately. It's too big -.- Plain and simple. I have a second set of soft parts being crafted that will (fingers crossed) fit better all together but since I'm not exactly sure when those will be done, I figured I'd might as well play with this set and get my toes wet.

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Everything looks good to me Carl. About the only thing I'd change is the way the belt sits in the front. It fits perfectly in the back, But seems to drift upwards in the front. I'd pull it down slightly to help even out the space between the bottom of the cod, the chevron, and the belt. If you want to get nitpicky, it also looks like you could take off an 1" from the top of the cod (where it attaches to the cummerbund). I'm not sure if was made with permanent attachment, or not. I made mine with velcro attachment so I could remove it to use the restroom.

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Everything looks good to me Carl. About the only thing I'd change is the way the belt sits in the front. It fits perfectly in the back, But seems to drift upwards in the front. I'd pull it down slightly to help even out the space between the bottom of the cod, the chevron, and the belt. If you want to get nitpicky, it also looks like you could take off an 1" from the top of the cod (where it attaches to the cummerbund). I'm not sure if was made with permanent attachment, or not. I made mine with velcro attachment so I could remove it to use the restroom.

 

Thanks for the feedback! Looking at the pictures, I do feel as if the left side went a bit higher than the right but I will definitely try to get it angled better tomorrow. In regards to the bund, it was made with permanent attachment. However, I do have another set of soft parts being crafted that will hopefully fit better to my measurements.

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It would be pretty easy to cinch up the bund and overlap to where it fits right, mark it and run a stitch down both sides leaving room for your 2" Velcro, cut off the excess and sew new Velcro.

 

I see you've already got a new one coming, but if you wanted a backup or one to weather, it would be pretty easy to make it fit.

 

The reality is, once you're suited up, walking around, kneeling down with kids, and sitting (Scout Perk!) Things are going to move around. I'm thinking more for your approval pictures you're going to really want everything just so.

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It would be pretty easy to cinch up the bund and overlap to where it fits right, mark it and run a stitch down both sides leaving room for your 2" Velcro, cut off the excess and sew new Velcro.

 

I see you've already got a new one coming, but if you wanted a backup or one to weather, it would be pretty easy to make it fit.

 

The reality is, once you're suited up, walking around, kneeling down with kids, and sitting (Scout Perk!) Things are going to move around. I'm thinking more for your approval pictures you're going to really want everything just so.

 

Definitely understand that! Another perk that I have at my disposal is the fact that I found out my friend's wife can sew! As in, she has a sewing machine and all! I might just hit her up after this weekend to make the corrections a reality.

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Y'all asked. I delivered. Been meaning to put these up for the last few days. I slapped everything on and did a trial run at the mall for Halloween!

 

I learned it gets hot. LOL. Other than that, it rocked. If it is a glimpse of the awesome times I'll have with the 501st and Pathfinders, I can't wait! I actually had three people call me out by 'biker scout' which surprised me. And the looks of awe and smiles from the kids? Heartwarming.

 

Other than that, does the top arm armor go over the vest or under or does it matter? I had mine under since I couldn't recall the exact specification.

 

Second picture is with my daughter who was NOT about the kit.

 

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The vest sleeve should stick out *just* beyond the shoulder bell, and the bicep armor is just below that, so technically it's not over or under, it's just below. Your right bicep looks like it's coming down over the forearm a bit? Everything could probably come up just a touch.

 

My vest sleeves are a little long and if I don't get stuff adjusted just right they end up over my bicep armor. Loss like you have a similar situation. I pull my sleeves back up under the bells a bit and the elastic holds it but it's a hassle. I have to bite the bullet and shorten them a 1/2 inch.

 

Loss good though, Brother. That's a CB lid, right?

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The vest sleeve should stick out *just* beyond the shoulder bell, and the bicep armor is just below that, so technically it's not over or under, it's just below. Your right bicep looks like it's coming down over the forearm a bit? Everything could probably come up just a touch.

 

My vest sleeves are a little long and if I don't get stuff adjusted just right they end up over my bicep armor. Loss like you have a similar situation. I pull my sleeves back up under the bells a bit and the elastic holds it but it's a hassle. I have to bite the bullet and shorten them a 1/2 inch.

 

Loss good though, Brother. That's a CB lid, right?

 

That it is, that it is.

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