BaC MK IV chest plates are terrible

[Phiasco]

Does anyone else find that the stupid straps that go around the front of the MKIV chest plates from Betrayal at Calth just drives them up the wall? Because I do. Has anyone had any luck in converting them? I'm thinking about simply cutting those straps and the central connector off. Any examples of how they look after doing this?  Thanks all. 

[Brother Aiwass]

I would like to see that aswell. Those straps don't do any good :(

[deathspectersgt7]

No. I have no problem with them . Rather like them as they are.  But you could buy those nicely priced FW ones .

[Major_Gilbear]

What straps do you mean, the armoured cables?

If so, they look fine to me - they're a pretty iconic part of the MkIV chest piece in fact.

Otherwise, I really don't know what you mean.

[Brother Aiwass]

Yes, the power cables. FW MkIV have them underneath and they look better to me. Problem is (like the OP I guess), that I have 30 BaC marines who don't look as good as the FW ones.

[Phiasco]

Power Cables, thank you. It was driving me nuts how my brain was blanking on what those were actually called. Yes, I can't stand the idea of power cabling being on the outside of the armor. The little blurb about how advancement in armor would protect the cables just doesn't do it for me. Furthermore, the big bit in the middle they all plug in to makes me think of the car seats you strap babies and toddlers in to.

[Verger]

I actually prefer the plastic ones over the FW versions.  Haven't really had any trouble painting mine so far and I've painted 30 and base coated another 10, too.  Much nicer to paint than the MKVII style, imo.

Plus the straps look nice with Jump Packs.....

[Noctem Cultor]

Turn them into Void harderned MKIV, there's an easy guide in Works in progress for converting HH armour and I've tried it once to success.

 

To be honest I like the armour if I didn't like it is just grab the Iron Armour kit or another instead.

 

-Noctem

[Major_Gilbear]

Well, in that case, I'm confused by the suggestion to get the FW ones instead, since they also have (and have always had) the cables: Link.

The only "standard" MkIV armour that doesn't have the cables on show is that which has been up-armoured for the Assault and Destroyer squads.

Besides that, the cables that run over the chest are (1) auxiliary cables, and (2) armoured even if not covered over with an armoured plate. I guess that you can file them off, but MkVI is the same, and all even MKII and MkVII have exposed cables on the front of the armour which seems similarly vulnerable to me.

I'm not sure that filing off the cables will leave the armour looking very interesting either. If exposed cables offend you, I suggest sticking with MKIII and MkVIII armours, or those which have the extra armour. Alternatively, Gawain Veteris posted a good tutorial here which may help you.

[Xenith]

If you don't like cables on the outside of the armour, go for Mk7.

 

My XX plog has some bulked up Mk4 armour to cover the cabling....but this just turns it into Mk7.

[Tyberos the Red Wake]

Yes, the power cables. FW MkIV have them underneath and they look better to me. Problem is (like the OP I guess), that I have 30 BaC marines who don't look as good as the FW ones.

 

The "no cable" look for Mk IV is actually the assault variant of the armor. You will find this chest piece on the melee-focused kits, while the gunners have the normal cabling. This torso bit represents the assault units putting on extra armor plating to protect the chest cables.

[Phiasco]

Huh, that makes sense, and is perfect for me as a blood angels player.

[Verger]

The only "standard" MkIV armour that doesn't have the cables on show is that which has been up-armoured for the Assault and Destroyer squads.

Strangely, the normal one looks better with the Jump Pack, as it looks like its actually strapped on, like the normal marine assualt kit.

[Aramis K]

I've had fun shaving off some of the cables and replacing with chest equipment; ammo belts off sternguard, small pouches off scouts and deathwatch, grenades, etc. Gives more of a tactical look.

[Brother Aiwass]

Have you any pics by chance Aramis?

[Major_Gilbear]

Have you any pics by chance Aramis?

 

The link in his signature takes you to his project log which has an example here. :)

[Brother Aiwass]

Thank you Major. I actually looked at his WIP before asking, because I was looking for wireless MkIV, but now I realize that maybe he meant part of the cables, not the whole lot.

[Aramis K]

Yup, I just went with one upper side, weapon;one arm often covers the other, but you could do both. Not a clean look, but an alternative.

I found cables can be roughly shaved off pretty easily but getting it smooth enough for a plain chest would be a challenge.

[Phiasco]

...getting it smooth enough for a plain chest would be a challenge.

 

Yeah, that's my main concern.

[SW1]

Your basically wanting the mk3 chest. Why not flog the chest parts on ebay and then buy mk 3 chest pieces? Just remove the crotch flap.

[Major_Gilbear]

...getting it smooth enough for a plain chest would be a challenge.

Yeah, that's my main concern.

It's not too hard actually, but you will need a few key pieces of (thankfully fairly cheap and readily-available) equipment.

You will need:

• Flush-faced clippers
• A sharp Xacto knife with a fresh blade
• A needle file (flat or half-round profile)
• An emery board (the sort that ladies use for filing their fingernails, like these)
• Some fine wet-n-dry sandpaper, like this

The process:

1) With the flat face of the clippers against the chest piece, work your way along each cable clipping the bulk of it away. Don't dig into though, just remove what you can.

2) Using the knife, carefully trim away any bigger bits still left and the central part the cables feed into. Again, do this carefully, and just remove what you can.

3) Run the needle file over the chest piece to remove any remaining parts of the cabling. File over the whole area, in different directions, and try not to file any one spot. The goal here is to get the chest piece even rather than smooth.

4) Now we need the emery board. As with the needle file, run over the whole chest piece. After a couple of passes, the chest should now be pretty smooth, but may still have some scratches or slightly textured spots

5) Finally, we come to the wet-n-dry sandpaper. Cut a piece about 3" square and fold it over a couple of times to get a strip. Wet the face a little and start to work your way over the chest piece. Use a light but consistent touch, as this is really more of a polish - the material removal should have been done prior to this stage. When you're done, rinse the chest off with some warm water and dishsoap, and set aside to dry.

Whilst this sounds like a lot of work, it's actually pretty quick (and each stage doesn't take very long at all). You can also use steps 2-5 (or 3-5 if the detail is quite fine) to remove icons moulded onto shoulder pads or other armour parts too. If you do this assembly-line style to ten chest pieces, you will get through them in no time. Obviously, on very big armour plates, this will also work, but it will take longer as the area is bigger and will require more attention to ensure that you get it evenly smooth.

One final thing to remember as well is that if you spray prime with a good automotive primer, very fine scratches will also be filled in during the priming stage, which will give you and even smoother finish.

I hope that helps you get the MkIV chest pieces to the style you want!

Edit: spelling.