I've really been putting in the hard yards with the chest and back piece lately. Up until today it was one piece and impossible to get onto the tape-dummy or onto my own body. I've been dreading this bit.
So today I installed some heavy plastic buckles on the inside, fibreglassed them in position then cut the pieces apart right on the join of the buckles.
1. Male buckle installed on the back piece at rib-level
2. Female buckle installed on chest piece at rib-level
3. Preparing for painting!
4 & 5. I also started on filling the hip pods with car-filler and finally started painting the chest and back.
1. Another test-fit before final coats on the chest piece. Nothing is secured where it should be properly yet, hence the displaced shoulder bell.
2. Chest and back painted. Arc reactor fitted and powered up.
3. The top half of the suit so far. Lots to start fixing together now, padding out the inside and adding all the attachment points to lock it all together.
1. Masking off the bicep for painting.
2. Upper arm and bicep painted.
3 & 4. Articulating the elbow joint.
5. Testing for fit and range of motion.
6 & 7A couple for fun.
Today I did my best to complete the articulation of the right arm. The aluminium is screwed into the shell on the inside then covered with fibreglass mat.
As I had leftover resin I started hardening the left arm on the mannequin.
Padded the insides of the armour today to stop the layers from scratching each other where they overlap. After that, I used socket-head cap-screws to bolt the pieces together. Another quick test fit on me, then back on the mannequin with all the parts.
1. Getting the final fitting done on a half-finished suit and preparing for it's first night out in public!
2. Only a week to go before the suit goes out in public. Cleaned the shed, organised the benches, got all the fibreglass and bog, paint, sandpaper, files, hot-glue and more, ready to get into some serious overtime this week to get as much done as possible. I at least want to have the whole upper-body finished. No time for the legs. Oh well, at least I'll be able to sit down at the party.
Day one of 1 of 6 - got a couple of hours in the shed today so I've been slush casting and putty-filling madly to get done by party time on day 6. Slush casting completed on shoulder bell, bicep and most of left forearm. Bit of filling done on shoulder bell.
1. A fair bit of progress today. Lots of fibreglassing curing in the shed. In the meantime, the neck piece has been a problem as the rigid fibreglass one offers no movement, plus I can't get my head through it. This new EVA foam one does the trick.
2. Fitting with alternate-locking velcro plates.
3. With helmet. Making some return springs to close the helmet behind my head. More on that bit later.
4. Neck piece painted with vinyl spray for flexibility.
