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[Straka Zulu]

You could trim about 1/16" off the outside of the chest templates.  The spacing is pretty close, but with the outer edge of the chest, you would want to hold your arms straight forward, or cross them, and not crinkle the paper too much.

[GraniteDad]

You could trim about 1/16" off the outside of the chest templates.  The spacing is pretty close, but with the outer edge of the chest, you would want to hold your arms straight forward, or cross them, and not crinkle the paper too much.

Awesome, that's very helpful. Makes sense to take that off on the outside only. Thank you!

[GraniteDad]

OK, maybe the lamest armor update ever, but I'm excited! I went to an armor party this weekend, and went from having paper templates to almost all my armor rough cut on sintra!


Still need to cut out the true armor lines, bevel the edges, check that things look good and sizes are still OK. I kept the armor as printed, so need to take that 1/16" off the outside edges.

Once that's done, it'll be on to my backplate and shaping... and hopefully my helmet will arrive around then.

[GraniteDad]

Helmet received. I think the USPS decided to put "Kick the Bucket" to the test. Check out this box:


Luckily, the helmet is as tough as described, and made the journey unscathed!


Can't wait to start finishing this thing.

Also making some slow armor progress, cutting the excess off carefully, and starting some minor beveling. I'm really not good at this, so taking it a slow as I can to avoid costly mistakes.

[Knight0351]

Helmet received. I think the USPS decided to put "Kick the Bucket" to the test. Check out this box:

Good Lord it is good that the helmet is fine but jeez

[GraniteDad]

OK. Minor progress tonight, but all the armor pieces are cut out. Started sanding the edges a bit to even them. Lots of work to go!

I’m really excited for three upcoming armor parties: one virtual, and two in person. Really hope that’ll help move things along.

[Awall]

Keep up the progress... no doubt the armor parties will sling shot you even further in the build.

[Kurshi BeJahaal]

I have two of those Kick The Bucket helmets sitting off to the side for future use. I'll be excited to see how yours turns out!

[GraniteDad]

I have two of those Kick The Bucket helmets sitting off to the side for future use. I'll be excited to see how yours turns out!

Did you get yours pre-assembled? How do you recommend I smooth the seams? Do I need to add a bunch more bondo or can I smooth down what’s there? I was sanding it on the Zoom call tonight but I’m worried about sanding too much and it falling apart. But maybe I’m just overthinking this.

[Kurshi BeJahaal]

Mine did not come assembled. He recommended using a specific PVC glue to hold it together but didn't specify much beyond that.

I haven't assembled mine yet, so I can't give any specific pointers. You can maybe use quiksteel to add some structure to the seams. It not only will cover the seams, it hardens and adds some durability and strength to that seam. It's a bit more difficult to sand, but can really add some integrity to potentially weak spots.

If you can get a few pictures, that would be awesome!

[GraniteDad]

Here's what I'm working with. The helmet seems very sturdy right now- the seams aren't bendy, so that's good. But just worried about smoothing to take off some of this sealer and that making it less secure. If it's not clear in the photos, I am going to Firaxan's armor party in a week, so can always have someone look at it "live" for pointers as well.

[Kurshi BeJahaal]

Hmm... It's hard to say. What type of adhesive did you use to hold the dome to the rest of the helmet? If that's a solid bond, you might be alright to sand it down flush.

I think the key is making sure that your initial bond between your dome and sides won't flex too much. The bondo doesn't always do much for strength and can crack if there's a possibility of some movement. It wasn't a bad idea to pause and ask a few questions.

[GraniteDad]

The guy did this initial bond/seal. I’ll check with him- good point that the material makes a huge difference.

[GraniteDad]

It’s bondo professional filler according to the guy. I think that means I can sand smooth and it should still maintain integrity. So that’ll be my new project.

On the negative side, my helmet fans don’t work. Looks like they may have gotten damaged in transit. I’m going to fiddle with them and see what I can figure out.

Edit:
Made some progress today while my wife worked on my vest! Sanding with a fine grit is working better than a rough grit, and keeping it wet is helping with dust.

Ready to eat doritos and sand a helmet:


Bondo is pretty rough:


Made some progress, but forgot to take a closeup, so here's me wearing the vest and staring off into the distance:


Once I'm done, I think I'm going to try hitting it with a primer spray paint that has filler, and that should help smooth things out. It's a beautiful helmet overall, really happy with how it's coming together.

[GraniteDad]

More progress today! Worked hard on sanding, and hit the helmet with a really light layer of spray paint w/filler. Hoping that will fill in some imperfections, and make it clear where I need to focus more effort in my sanding.

Helmet work:



Vambraces:


Also, I'm having a crisis of colors- I went to the hardware store this afternoon, and there is a TON of cool metallic spray paints in a hammered style that looks dope.  What do you think? I am thinking a metallic look with some green or blue stripes/accent pieces instead of the matte army green all over. Or, I could use that hammered look as the undercoat and then paint over it with army green so you only see it in weathering, but I'm worried that'll look too messy.

hammered metallic ideas: