So I need to create a neck piece in addition to those 3 in the pic above?
How do you guys usually hold these together? Velcro or buckles or something?
The 3 pieces shown in the original picture are (from left to right) the chest piece, the brace, and the back piece.
The chest and back pieces usually have velcro or buckle attachments holding them together at the sides (under the arms). The shoulder strap section that connects the tops of the chest and back can also be buckled, velcro'd, or in some cases attached permanently if your head will fit through the opening comfortably. JF has examples in his first post of how he attaches the sections together.
The brace serves mainly as the filler piece between the connected upper torso (chest-back pieces) and your neck piece. Without it, there is usually a gap between the top of the front chest opening and the neck piece, so this cleanly fills that area. This is put on first, head through the main hole, and worn like a bib, with the main chest pieces being put on over it.
The neck wrap is then put on, filling any visible gaps between the brace and the bottom of your helmet. A lot of people build the neck section from thinner foam, so that it is more comfortable to wear and has a little more flexibility. There's usually a seam at the side or the back; velcro works well to hold it together, as does magnets if they are installed well.
The separate brace and neck piece allows you to remove your helmet and often uncomfortable neck wrap without having to take off your chest as well if they were connected.
****Just to add, the Robo downloads for MK 4/6 armor in the first post of this thread include both the brace and two different neck seals that can both work. There should also be a collar file in there, i tserves as an extra detail piece and fills in gaps like the brace does if the builder wants it.
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