Neo Crusader WIP

Alrighty, here is today's update:
Rough sanded and prepped for Bondo...
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Bondo'd...
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Next step that will take place over the next couple days is sand the bondo down and get those plates smooth! Once theyre all sanded, I'll reevaluate to see if any additional Bondo needs to be added and sanded again. My experience with Bondo has always been 2 to 3 applications is required to get it totally smoothed out.
 
I salute you for your service to us as a police officer!!! :)

What do you use to sand the fiberglass??? I hear fiberglass dust is deadly. ???

Thanks

I just use a Black and Decker palm sander with 80 grit sandpaper for the rough sand. I'll use a 150 grit sandpaper when I sand the bondo.

As always, yes the dust from Fiberglass, Bondo and Bondo are toxic. Not instant killers but, they sure won't help anything and are carcinogens with time.

Always use a respirator mask when sanding that stuff.
 
Alright, today's update:
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Two hours of sanding. The shoulders, the right gaunt and 3/4's of the right lowere leg are fine sanded. Over the next couple days I'll try to get the rest of the pieces fine sanded.
As expected, there were air pockets. However, nothing is too major. I think I can fill them with glazing putty rather than more Bondo.
 
It's looking great A'den. I'm looking forward to the finished product. Very inspirational that a build like this can be done without breaking the bank.
 
Here's today's update:
These pieces were fine sanded today before I ran out of sand paper, I have 3 pieces left to finish this portion of the job.
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I went to the store to buy more sanding pads and picked up some glazing putty as well. I figured I didnt want to do anymore sanding today, I'd save it for tomorrow. So, I glazed the pieces that had been fine sanded:
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At this time, this project is turning out to be exactly as labor intensive as I had anticipated. Making the templates, painting, assembly, that's all the easy stuff. The fiberglassing itself isn't even difficult. It's the sand, bondo, sand, bondo, sand, putty, sand, putty, sand... that gets old quickly.
As I sat sanding today, an epiphany struck... All the flat plates, ie those without intense angles etc., I should have made from 3MM sintra. It would have saved alot of time and work. Likely, I'd be to painting by now. If anyone is following this build with the idea of doing one for themselves or applying these techniques to the build on the Mando from another era, I would suggest that any plates you can make with metal, sintra or trashcans you do so. In the case of my build, that would have been the backplate, left thigh, fronts on both lower legs, right gauntlet and the upper shell of the left gauntlet. Due to the raised plates on the right thigh, left lower shell and the intense angles on the chest and shoulders, they are the only pieces of this build that I really had to use these techniques.
So, tomorrow, more sanding. I will hopefully get the last 3 pieces fine sanded and hopefully glazed. Hopefully I'll be cooking along fast enough I can start sanding the already glazed pieces as well. However, that may be another day.
 
Another update...
Today I finished with the fine sanding on the last 3 pieces...
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And got them spot filled with glazing putty...
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Next step, fine sand the glazing putty!
 
I took yesterday off for my birthday. Got back on it today.
These pieces are still in the glazing putty/sand phase. They are on their second application of putty. A couple will have at least one more fill tomorrow.
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These I filled and sanded all I can. They have been primed with an automotive primer. Next step for them is to be wet sanded.
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