Created the blog today and added the back posts. Posted the blog to FB on the Anovos group and my personal page. Instantly got a lot of good reaction :D One of my friends pointed me to the local 501st garrison, and now I'm part their FB group and two other closed groups. As if I weren't buys enough :P (Be careful what you wish for...)
Went to Home Depot and picked up 20 mini clamps for $0.37 each. I thought about using clamp-style paper clips, but the mini clamps have rubberized ends that won't scratch the armor or require me to cover parts with tape to prevent scratches. I also picked up two larger spring clamps (to complement the two I already have plus the four c-type spring clamps) for $0.99. Also got some magnets, though they were low on selection. But overall, I'll have enough mini clamps to strip four edges at once, then enough magnets and other clamps to fit one arm or leg piece together.
(later)
After taking care of kids and chores, it was past 11pm, so I wasn't able to cut out any more pieces, but I did get a bit of gluing done.
But before that, somebody on FB asked for close-ups of the removed return edges on the forearms, so here you go :) The still need some slight sanding but as you can see, the edge returns are nothing but sight raised edges now. The edges also look slightly rough due to the still-attached protective film fraying at the sanding edge (clicking on any photo should display it full screen).
Began by removing the clamps for the bicep pieces. I trimmed the slight overage off the strip near the elbow joint (BTW, Parts 41 by label are Parts F in the instructions; all the strips are mislabeled). Since the elbow needs to be flush most of all, it's a good base for lining up the inner and outer shells.
When you sit the pieces together flat on the table, the elbow ends are even. The upper ends are not; this is why I left the strip ends on this side uncut, so I can make these edges more even after gluing.
Edit: I know some (like this fellow ANOVOS builder) are having issues with the edges of the armor matching up. Keep in mind that these kits are screen accurate, meaning they have all sorts of inaccuracies inherent to the original 1977 armor. What I did to fix the edges (as opposed to heavily relying on the edge strips to cover gaps, was this: I matched as much of the butt joint together, marked the overlap portion with a line, and cut off the overlap. Worked great with my bicep and forearm pieces. Nice matching edges for the strips. The lines aren't 100% straight, but certainly 90% and more than enough to cover up with the strips.
That being said, I removed the film from un-stripped outer piece and lightly sanded the very edges of the butt joint. I then applied E6000 to one of the strips attached to the inner piece, lined the pieces up, and clamped. I then repeated the process on the other side. The results look very heavy duty as far as the clamping and magnets go :P
The other bicep will have to wait until tomorrow; I'll only be able to perform this sort of final clamping on one piece per day, but I'm in no rush.
With the mini clamps procured, I was ready to start initial gluing on the forearm pieces. Firstly, there are the strips (as with the other strips, Parts 40 by label are Parts E in the instructions; all the strips are mislabeled). As opposed to Trooperbay, who marks the pieces with lines, I marked the strips by putting a line halfway along the length of the strip, after I sanded the strips for better cement adhesion.
Then, I removed the protective film and sanded the butt edges of the two inner forearm pieces, 18 & 19. Wiping off the dust, I applied the E6000 to one of the the butt edges of the forearm piece, lined the strip up according to the line I placed, and clamped. Since this piece is bowed outward, I clamped the ends first, then the middle, and then put a clamp in between each side, for a total of five clamps. I repeated this process until I had all four strips clamped to both inner forearm pieces.
That's it for tonight. I'm hoping to start cutting leg pieces tomorrow so I can have all my limbs accounted for :P
No comments:
Post a Comment