That all looks very good. It looks a very involved build but you certainly know what your doing.

Here's a more detailed look at my lacing pattern for the bottom of the sixth plate of each kusazuri set. I built a couple of simple tools to help with the job.

Pictured below, on the left, is a wood pick created by rounding the ends of a toothpick to various degrees. I used 400 then 1000 grit sandpaper to get a smooth surface finish so as not to snag the material.

The version pictured below has a blunt side and pointed side. The blunt end is ideal for moving the lace in tight spaces. The pointed end is better for slipping under the odoshi to fix valley folds and to undo or adjust the lacing. The midsection is wrapped in painter's tape for better grip.

A seam ripper could also be used but I was worried the metal might scratch the finish.

The second tool (right) is a piece of clear plastic cut from a blister pack. The working end and edges were sanded with 400 then 1000 grit sandpaper also, so it wouldn't snag the material. This was used as a mini spatula to push the end of the odoshi into place for gluing.

The images below show the steps I took with my lacing pattern.

Really like how you are explaining your build and the quality of your work is superb great stuff regards Phil

Lacing the kusazuri plates vertically proved more time consuming than I thought it would be. I was familiar with the lacing pattern since I've used it on my full size armor designs. I thought this would be one of the easier tasks.

I've read many great suggestions from different model makers on their techniques for keeping the distances even between one set of plates to the other.

I thought of using tnequette's technique of using a jig to keep the spacing even, and compensate for the stretch in the odoshi, but I didn't have the materials or a work space set up to create a similar jig.

Macky42 replied earlier regarding the use of paper plugs to help with the odoshi stretching. However, I had already stared some of the vertical lacing when I read the post so I opted to go without the plugs instead of trying to retro fit what I had already done.

In the end, instead of using the template provided with the model, I aligned the bottom edge of one plate with the bottom of the second row of holes in the following plate.

Between finishing one plate and starting the next, I would hold the assembled plates vertically to ensure that spacing was kept even with the stretch.

I waited until I was done with all the sections before I sealed the ends...just in case.

The frustration happened when I double checked my work. Some plates were out of alignment as much as 1/16th of an inch. My guess is that as I tightened the lacing I pulled some of the plates out of position.

This was not a problem when I worked on full size armor. The smaller scale might have been the cause. I found it helpful to use a magnifying glass to lace the plates together.

The yellow odoshi running on either side of the kusazuri plates seems thinner (depth-wise) than the blue odoshi. When it was pulled through the holes, it would readily compress into a narrow line. I wanted the runner to have more of a “dot” shape, keeping a consistent width going between the anchor section and the suspensory section.

Initially, I used the technique of holding the odoshi with my finger to prevent over tightening as I had with the blue odoshi. As a result, the yellow odoshi looked loose. I also had difficulty keeping a consistent shape and width.

I added a small piece of self-stick felt between the two anchor holes. When the yellow lace is pulled tight, it forms around the felt consistently keeping the “dot” shape. Below is a close up of the felt piece next to a sewing needle for scale.

Forum member, macky42, mentioned in Stevie's armor build diary that the yellow odoshi seemed to be of lesser quality than the blue. I couldn't say for sure if it was lesser quality but it felt thinner than the blue odoshi.

A big deviation from the instructions and tradition is that I didn't connect any kusazuri sections to the do (chest armor). I put them aside at this point. I had an idea of making them removable. The major benefit being that I could hang the do on the stand and then add the kusazuri.

I am still working the details on how I will hang the kusazuri. More on that to follow.

Really love how this is coming together excellent work regards Phil

Thanks everyone for following my build.

Adding the pads actually wasn't too bad. The hardest part was cutting a strip of felt 1/16" wide. I used the tip of an Exacto knife to place each piece.

There were 132 pads needed just for the kusazuri. And I would have to do this for the yodare kake (throat guard) and shikoro (neck guard). Based on numbers alone, I almost gave up on the idea.

I played with a couple different ideas for creating the pads including puffy paint (pictured below).

In the end, the self-stick felt gave the best thickness with a consistent form that wasn't too difficult to apply.

Agree with Tony you are doing a terrific job on this regards Phil

Thank you all for the compliments and for following my build diary.

I continued building the armor by constructing the other parts that require lacing in a similar manner as the kusazuri.

The yodare kake (throat guard) was pretty straightforward. The major alteration I made to this portion of armor was lacing the sections together separate from the menpo (face mask).

I thought this would make the lacing job easier as it would minimize the amount of lacing required while dodging the beard or conversely, dealing with the plates flopping around while trying to install the beard.

I also laced the yodare kake as a separate section in case I wanted to paint the inside of the menpo. I could undo short sections of odoshi instead of un-lacing the entire piece. This choice does not follow traditional construction.

Tigerace - thanks for following my build and the compliments of my knowledge of the armor part names. Still learning. I know most of the major sections but I've yet to learn names of the smaller parts.

Assembling the shikoro (neck guard). I deviated from the instructions a bit. The decorative odoshi along the bottom plate passes through a lot of holes. From lacing the kusazuri, I noticed the odoshi can become a little worn going through the holes.

It wasn't horribly noticeable, but some of the odoshi looked a bit fuzzy when compared to new pieces.

I decided to mitigate some of the wear from the assembly process by lacing the bottom plate of the shikoro in sections. I cut the odoshi in fourths and laced from the left front to the center of the back with half of the cross pattern. Then left front to the center of the back completing the cross pattern.

Repeating the steps, I laced the right half from the front to the back. Where the two halves met in the center of the back, I glued one end onto the other in a way that it would look like one continuous piece. The cross pattern helped to conceal the splice.

I got close enough in appearance that the casual observer would probably not be able to tell. But it's not as perfect as I would like it to be. If you know what you're looking for, you can see it.

For the yellow running lace, I added pieces of felt between the holes with the same technique I used on the kusazuri. You can see the felt in the “Cross pattern complete” picture below. This task looked intimidating because of the number of holes.

But I think it took a little less than an hour to add the felt.