AnjelRedemption's ANH stunt build (NE)

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Hello Everyone,

 

Since I got some great feedback yesterday I jumped right in and fixed some of the issues and then finished up on others.

 

First, i took the advise and fixed the belt.

 

I started by trimming the bolts that hold the fabric.

 

 

Then i trimmed the top and bottom of the belt and added the 45 degree cut corners and installed the drop boxes

 

I didn't put the belt covers on the edge of the belt because of the pre drilled dimples, and the fact i already drilled the holes!

but looking at a lot of EIB, which i'm going for, it hasn't stopped anyone from getting it.

 

 

 

Then it was time to add the holster.

 

I decided to go w/ Snaps because it would be easier to take of the holster if for some reason i needed too (like a party or work function were i can't bring a blaster)

 

 

I measured 3/4 inches from the edge of the plastic belt and from the bottom and installed the male snaps.

 

 

and the finished product...

 

 

and a shot of the back...

 

 

I then wanted to complete the belt by finishing my TD

 

all i needed was the clips, so i decided to make my own.

 

I started w/ a flat sheet of aluminum.

 

 

I measured out 1 inch strips and used the score and snap meathod...it worked really well!

 

The metal is really flexable, so i was able to shape it with no assistance from tools

 

 

 

once i got the shape i liked i drilled the holes and attached the clips

 

 

 

 

There was still a lot of extra metal, but it cut right off w/ some sissors!

 

 

and the finished product (i still need to paint the screws black)

 

 

 

 

Let me know (other than the screws needing to be black) what yall think.

 

and I also got the inner stips gluing on the thighs..

 

 

WHEW!!!!

 

Did a lot of work yesterday, and plan on doing a lot more this weekend.

 

stay tuned!!

 

[Mutter]

looks good! I can't tell if the screws are philips head or slotted.  They "should" be slotted pan head screws that are painted black.  Nice job on the TD clips!

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Greg,

 

They are pan head slotted (iphone camera sucks lol)

 

the clips turned out better than i expected to be honest LOL

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Hey everyone,

 

I got some help over the weeked to size my shins and thighs.

 

and while i was doing that i though i would take some shots of me wearing the armor.

 

Please let me know what yall think

 

BTW....i could barely move  so there is a lot of trimming to do! enjoy!

 

 

i'm hoping to get the shins and thighs finished by the end of the week and then i can focus on trimming and mobility.

 

Stay tuned!

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Looks like you could pull up the thighs several inches. to give your knees some mobility. I'm on this step myself but I've got to trim at least an inch if not more since I'm too short to be a stormtrooper.

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Jason: i just had them resting on the shins in these pics because i havn't made the garder belt yet. This was just a test to shape the thighs and shins to my form and to see how everything looks so far all put together.

 

I'm short for a trooper as well (5'8) but i think if i cut the back of the thighs and shins it won't be to bad...i just won't be able to sit as the thighs would dig into my hips.

 

Thanks for the comment!

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Oh I gotcha. I'm trying to figure out how to cut the rears in an angle so I don't have church bell knees. Luckily MTK gives a lot of extra material to work with. You've got 3 inches on height on me so I have to trim the thighs and calves

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Jason,

 

I just had one of my friends tape them up when i was wearing them, and i made sure i could still slip them on and off so as not to make them too tight.

 

I did make sure that the bottom ridges lined up because i will be trimming at the top.

 

Since i have some skinny thighs, there is not too much of a bell shape, but i did make sure that there wasn't a huge difference in size between the bottom of the thighs and the top of the shins.

 

It's kind of like when you are measuring the bicep and forearm, you don't want one to swallow up the other! lol

 

with a little help i think you can do it!

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Hey everyone,

 

More work on the armor.

 

I got the inside back strips in the thighs and the tops trimmed up.

 

 

and then i worked on the shins.

 

I decided to go w/ 25mm (7/8 - 1 inch) cover strips as to get the most room available for the velcro i'm going to use to hold them together.

 

 

The one on the left is the right shin and the one on the right is the left shin, They will open up to the inside.

 

as the shins and thighs are gluing, i went ahead and finished the belt by adding some snaps to the ab plate.

 

First i test fit where i wanted the belt to be and found the best spot to place the snaps. Turns out it is on the raised ridges on either side of the ab buttons.

 

 

I drilled the holes and then added the snaps.

 

 

I realized too late that i only had the hand held snap tool and had a hard time messing w/ the snaps w/ a phillips screw driver to get them to hold.

 

so i came up with an idea to fix it. I used a small screw that fit perfectly inside the snap and then tightned it down w/ a nut on the back end.

 

 

I used the bottom part of the snap as a washer so to speak.

 

with the snaps in place on the ab plate, i put the belt on and got it to where i liked and marked the spots for the femal snaps.

 

 

and viola!!

 

 

Thats it for now.

 

up next is the sniper plate and the thigh ammo belt. (not looking forward to this)

 

and then just a lot of trimming for mobility

 

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for sure!

Stay tuned!

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Hey Everyone,

 

More work on the armor.

 

Once the shins dried, i installed the velcro

 

 

The velcro i got at my local Elliots hardware, that stuff is for industrial use, it's pretty tough.

 

 

Not too much of a gap, but as most of y'all know, there will always be a gap

 

 

 

 

 

I still need to attach the front cover strips and then install the sniper plate, but i wanted to work on the thighs as well.

 

I got the front cover strips glued on the thighs.

 

 

Then it was time to mess with the ammo belt on the thigh.....

 

The Thigh came out a little wonky, so i had to have the ammo belt extended on one side to make it fit.

 

 

 

 

I ended up using chicago screws for the ammo pack, and they were a little to long, so i cut some small peices of ABS to use as washers!

 

 

and from the back...

 

 

Then i trimmed them up for some mobility because i'm a little short for a trooper! lol

 

 

and then installed the back cover strips

 

 

So w/ all my clamps and magnets occupied, i started work on the garder belt to hold up my thighs.

 

I found some quick release buckles on amazon for cheap.

 

 

Since i had a lot of 1" webbing left it was perfect.

 

with this set up i didn't have to use any tools or anything. and i can adjust the belt if need be.

 

 

 

I'm still deciding if i want to use snaps or just glue the straps on the thighs.....

 

Well, that's it for now.

 

As always, i look forward to your comments.

 

Stay tuned!

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Hey folks!

 

More work on the armor.

 

I got the cover strips glued on the shins

 

 

and then I glued the sniper plate on

 

 

 

 

and once it was dry

 

 

 

 

after that I had to trim up the butt plate, i found that when i walked w/ the thighs on, it would pich me in a very uncomfortable place!

 

 

I trimmed quite a bit off, but the snaps won't be that visible when i'm wearing it.

 

 

 

 

 

I also had to trim up the thighs because of my "to short for a storm trooper" syndrome!

 

 

 

 

And after the trimming, (i still need to sand them smooth but i kept the shape of the thighs.

 

I also will not be adding a return edge just for mobility sake.

 

 

Well thats it for now.

 

Things left for me to do...

 

1. finish trimming thighs and sanding them down.

2. install straps for thighs to connect to garder belt

3. take exess glue off of cover strips

4. test fit for mobility and do additional trimming if needed

 

Stay tuned!

[Mutter]

wow! nice job on the thighs! Not many people would tackle that.  Can't wait to see how they turn out when you're finished.

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Hello Everyone!

 

So I got the thighs all finished and sanded down..

 

 

 

 

And then I installed the straps

 

 

 

I decided to just glue the straps in and i went w/ the buckle method because i felt it would be easy to replace and adjuster if i needed too.

 

well.....that was the last thing I needed to complete on the armor....

 

I'M DONE!!!

 

now it's time to clean up any glue excess and polish up the armor and take some submission photos!

 

I will try and take the photos sometime this week or weekend.

 

Thanks to all for the help and comments! Can't wait to join the ranks here really soon!

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Woot-woot! Those thighs turned out nicely and the thickness of the material almost serves as a return edge in itself. I'll be doing mine shortly and will copy some of your techniques. 

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Thanks Jason!!

 

Always glad to hear i can help someone else.

 

I'll be looking forward to seeing your armor completed!

Edited July 7, 2015 by AnjelRedemption

[Mutter]

Andrew, the thighs came out great!  Test out wearing them around before your first troops.  You may find the webbing doesn't "give" that much and you may wish to swap out for some elastic.  Just my experience.

 

Good luck on your submission!

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Thanks Greg!

 

I did test them out by walking around my apartment for about 10 mins. No armor bites. I used webbing because i wanted to make sure they stated up all the way.They are a little stiff but the good thing is i have just enough pudge around my belly to give it enough slack! 

 

I just had so much webbing left over and no elastic left and didn't want to waste it. but i used E6000, so i can always change it if need be!

 

I'm so excited to be near the end of this journey, but i know my real journey w/ the Legion is just begining!

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Hello Everyone!

 

Sorry for the delay, I was on vacation and had a hard time finding someone to take the pics.

 

I just sent my submission photos into my GML and I wanted to share them with my FISD buddies!

 

and here they are!

 

 

 

 

 

 

on this next one, my tab to keep the kidney from sliping out.......sliped out. lol but at least the ab and kidney are aligned!

 

Action Shot.....I know.....how original!

 

 

 

Since these photos, I have fixed my hand gaurds so they don't come up as much and adjusted the thighs to come up and the arms for more mobility.

 

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it  (if I had hair to pull out)

 

I'll post again when I get the confirmation.

 

As always, comments are welcome!

 

Also....thanks to everyone who posted comments and provided help along the way!

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

I wish I had this problem but it looks like your kidney is too big. You have some gap there that may be worth trimming it down some. You can see it on the profile shots.

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Jason,

 

Thanks for the comment, the tab to keep the kidney in place slipped out on the right side. when it is in place it helps keep the kidney tucked in a little more and eliminates the gap.

 

I also noticed I forgot to paint the knee ammo rivites white! lol.....oh well....I guess it's true that you are never really DONE w/ the armor.

[Kredal[TK]]

Looking good!  Yeah, I've learned you're never really done.  I've been approved, I've put in my EIB application, and now I'm making even more changes to get it to fit and look better, and make it even more accurate looking!

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Thanks Josh,

 

Your armor turned out great! Good for you for goind Hero as well, I hear getting the bucket to have only three teeth on each side is a pain in the butt!

 

Good luck on your EIB!

[Mutter]

Great job, Andrew!  Looking forward to congratulating you when you're officially accepted as a member!

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

Thanks Greg!

 

I also appreciate all the help along the way!

[AnjelRedemption[TK]]

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

 

TK-19601 REPORTING FOR DUTY!!!!