For those of you who want to see my build from the start, go to this thread:
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/...263#post540263

Now here is where it all begins(or ends)!!!

Ok so when I first started planning the strapping of the suit, I wanted to focus on connecting the chest pieces together. And I had a plan for this. I was going to glue clips to the top shoulder connections and put magnets on the bottom connections. The clips would also be placed in a way so that the chest could hinge open and not have to be disconnected every time.

So i found an old backpack with a couple of clips on it. I decided to rip them out and put them to good use.




I took the clips and then glued them into place on the chest.



Then I took some magnets out of my old beyblade stadium and some L brackets from ace and glued those into place as well. (I know it isn't that flush, that is a mater that I will addend to at a later date)

I soon realized that hot-glue does not stick very well to rondo and the clips kept pulling out of their places. So at that point I realized that if I add straps to the clips and glued the straps all that way down, the greater surface area would keep the clips in place.

That is exactly what I did. I found some strapping and clips at ace, of all places, and used that to begin the strapping of one leg. I had a belt that was adjustable and was able to loop the strap around the belt and hang a long strap down my leg.


I then found some knee pads that I glued my other knee pads to lol.


I put some padding into the shin piece so it would not wobble on my skinny leg. This was gotten from a twin sized foam mattress topper that I found not in use.


I then used that same foam to stuff my boot pieces so it was flush with my shoe and hot glued the heck out of it!


I added a clip between the thigh and shin pieces for easy attachment and removal.



Finally, the leg was completed. I need to complete the other leg and then fully test them for durability. The belt will soon be supported by suspenders so the legs do not sag.


More updates coming soon! Any comments and/or advice is greatly appreciated!

The armor looks really good. Seems like you're making fast progress on the strapping. Curious about how it looks like finished

Looking good man! Strapping it all together is always an interesting challenge in the process of armor building. Keep it up!

-Jacob

When i did my rigging i used some of those work kneepads and velcro'd the knee plate on. The kneepad held itself onto my skinny monstrosity of a knee pretty well and it was somewhat comfortable. I would recomend it.

Thanks Sealgair! I was surprised to see how fast it went as well. I hope the suit turns out as well as in my head.

Thanks! It is indeed a challenge....especially with bondo that doesn't like to bond....

I did use knee pads to put my knee plate on and it works wonders!! I just need to paint the knee pad black so it blends in nicely.

wow that looks really good man, i like the helmet =D

Wait, wait, wait! You said hot glue doesn't stick well to rondo, does that mean if you rondo the armor on the inside, that the hot glue will fall apart? That just doesn't seem logical now that I typed that.

Thanks

Well if your rondo is very nicely cured, then i see no problem. In my case the rondo actually separates ino small layers and the hot glue bond is stronger than the bondo bond so it just peels off... =/

So all i do is run a strap all the way down the piece and drench it in hot glue. So far it seems to work lol.

Oh, alright that would make sense. Oh did I forget to mention that your armor is Really good? I hope I didn't forget, than I'd be lying.

I wish you the best of luck on the rest of your armor!

Thanks Gray



Here is an update!!



I have the second leg completed and I now plan to attach the waist pieces to my belt. Also I need to do the top half of the suit and get the arms with foam inside and clip the chest pieces together.

Wish me luck!

That looks soo good!! Nicely done!

WOAH it looks amazing! Totally subbing to this thread

Thanks guys


Updates Everywhere!!!

Ok, I've worked until 2:30 am and decided to post what I have done. I will definately hit the hay after I hit the reply button.

So now that the legs are done, I decided to get the chest done first. I glued a single strap inside each shoulder support and make a make-shift hinge out of it. I drenched it in hot-glue for it to stick and still have the magnets on the bottom. They are not sticking very well atm so I will find a better replacement later.

Next on the list was the waist. I found it very simple since my waist-piece was already in pieces from deformation so I salvaged it.

I used my belt that I am using to support the legs and was able to make a loop out of more strapping. This allows for a hinging effect so i can sit down and not get stabbed in the groin...



I took the side-pocket things of the waist and glued some foam on the insides. I then glued the foam to the belt intersection where I have the leg strap coming down. It was a good bonding surface and has worked nicely so far.


Next was the arms. With the shoulder and forearm pieces it was as simple as gluing more foam into the inside and made it tight enough so there would be no slipping around. So far it has worked.



So with everything done, I decided to do my first full test fit of the painted armor... and my goodness it looks fabulous!!!




Now just to clarify... this definately does NOT mean the suit is completed. There will be constant improving and additions to make my build the best ever! But that comes with time. And at this moment...I am very tired... so I bid you all good night and thanks for the feedback

Wish me luck!