Keyla's ANH Stunt build (1.5mm TM, aiming for Centurion)

[Keyla]

So, my brown box came from TM (hurray!!). Before I got home, my husband already unpacked everything from the box, so no obligatory brown box photo!

 

Everything was very lovingly packed in bubble wrap to survive the journey over to Sweden.

 

The first thing that strikes me is that the pieces are very beautiful. A gorgeous shade of white, nice and glossy and lovely detail. Here are the pieces laid out (note: includes TK boots, plus holster/neckseal from Darman & wife):

 

Note that some pieces are stacked due to lack of space.

 

My first step will be to start trimming and sanding the arms as soon as I get some free time to do so!

[Bone[501st]]

Congratulations Sarah!

You've got some beautiful armor there.

TM is one of the finest and your buildup will be a breeze!

 

I see you have ordered TMs strapping kit, too, but you are going the snapplate route, don't you?

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Very nice! I'll be watching this build with interest

[bpoodoo]

TM is top notch - have fun with the build. Luv the stormtrooper keyboard in the background!

[Bone[501st]]

The keyboard in the background only has one drawback:

it only plays the imperial march ...

[Geaux Saints[TK]]

I have the same armor from TM except I have the wire strapping instead of snaps. Everything I received was Centurion ready. Great armor! Looks fantastic when you wear it. You'll love it.

 

 

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[ukswrath[Staff]]

I personally would fire your husband, unboxing is part of the fun, joy killer 

 

This will be my first TM build, well, watching that is. So exciting 

 

[Bone[501st]]

Start your build already!

:-)

I always like to see TM buildups.

They are so rare ...

[Bone[501st]]

Hey Sarah, what's up?

[Keyla]

Well I've been too afraid to cut anything so far! Progress is 0%.
 

May start with forearms or TD. I suppose the first cut is the hardest...!

 

 

Congratulations Sarah!

You've got some beautiful armor there.

TM is one of the finest and your buildup will be a breeze!

 

I see you have ordered TMs strapping kit, too, but you are going the snapplate route, don't you?

 

I have a hard time getting my head around the strapping systems. I thought that TM's strapping kit would be used for the snapplate method but now that you ask this, I am filled with uncertainty! Snapplate method does seem what I would want to do, as I get the impression it is a robust method that will hold through lots of trooping... If you have any advice on this point, do let me know!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Hey Sarah, well the first bit of advice I would like to give you is don't panic   Take a deep breath, IN......., OUT...... now smile. See all better 

 

For the moment lets put the strapping system to the side, we won't need to consider that for a while.

 

Let's talk plastic. Now before we get started let's go back and look at some TM builds. I've provided a couple links below.

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/28263-ddays-tm-15mm-anh-stunt-build/

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/22362-my-project-from-a-tm-kit-to-a-tantive-iv-boarding-party-stormtrooper/

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/28302-my-2mm-tm-hero-helmet-build-82014/

 

You mentioned forearms, let's start there. 

 

Were here for questions, shoot.

[Chills[TK]]

I just finished my TM build a couple of weeks ago.

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31099-chills-build-anh-stunt-tm-armor/

 

 

I totally know the trepidation you are feeling. First things first, did you mark all the places you want to cut excess plastic with a  pencil? Do that first, don't worry about messing up the marks, the pencil rubs right off.

 

I marked ALL of the parts (except the helmet) and then started cutting the excess off with the popular curved lexan scissors. This armor is REALLY well made; its easy to cut and bends well. I suggest you make your cuts a couple of MM away from your marks, then use a sander to take down the rest. It's easy to see on most parts where you should trim the excess plastic, but if you have any questions post a picture and ask here.

[Keyla]

So supportive! Thank you, you're giving me the courage I need! I'll try and make this build thread as clear as possible to help others in turn

 

Starting with pencil marks on the forearms then...

• No return edge shall be left on the wrist end of the forearm.
• No return edge on bicep end of the forearm as it will be covered by the bicep piece. EDIT 20150620: It is perfectly fine to have a return edge at this location, and I probably will do that.

I suspect my pencil marks are too conservative. I think I need to draw them again at the red digital line - thoughts?

Bicep end of forearm :

 

Wrist end of forearm:

Edited June 20, 2015 by Keyla

[ukswrath[Staff]]

So supportive! Thank you, you're giving me the courage I need! I'll try and make this build thread as clear as possible to help others in turn

 

Starting with pencil marks on the forearms then...

• No return edge shall be left on the wrist end of the forearm.
•  
• No return edge on bicep end of the forearm as it will be covered by the bicep piece.
•  

I suspect my pencil marks are too conservative. I think I need to draw them again at the red digital line - thoughts?

 

Bicep end of forearm :

 

Wrist end of forearm:

 

 

Correction..return edge allowed on the bicep side of the forearms, no return on the wrist side. This is from the CRL. If you don't mind me asking where did you get your info from?

 

For level three certification (if applicable):

• No return edge on the inside of the front of the forearm is allowed.

Edited June 19, 2015 by ukswrath

[ukswrath[Staff]]

I would stick with your original pencil mark then trim as needed.

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

You can keep a return edge at the top of the forearm, but you need to remove absolutely all of the return edge at the wrist opening:

 

[Chills[TK]]

Germain has it right. For the wrist end of your forearm I recommend that you use scissors to cut where your red line is and then a dremel to take the edge up to Germain's blue line; shave just a little bit at a time. 

 

Also, don't forget to cut those edges off from the mold along the length of the pieces. There shouldn't be any curve outward; this will help when you're mating the to halves together. 

[Keyla]

Thanks for the input!!

 

I will trim according to the red, and then shave up until the blue.

And I will remove the edges along the length.

 

I am not sure where I got the idea that I don't want a return edge on the bicep-end of the forearm, it is in my notes with no source attributed. I will now plan to have a return edge there.

[Kredal[TK]]

The return edge on the bicep-end is optional... I cut mine off for the extra comfort.

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

I am not sure where I got the idea that I don't want a return edge on the bicep-end of the forearm, it is in my notes with no source attributed. I will now plan to have a return edge there.

You're partially right in fact . You don't really want any return edge on top of the inner half of the forearm as it will reduce the risk of pinching when you'll bend your arm.

[Bone[501st]]

The same is true for the shoulder bells.

You should keep a minimal return edge to give the illusion of depth, but not a substantial return edge, because it just wouldn't work or look good.

 

Btw, just start cutting! You really can't do anything wrong, that is not fixable ...

If your cutting line is bendy, keep in mind, that it will be covered by the cover strip. Nobody is gonna see it.

 

Put both halves of the biceps to your upper, adjust them until they feel comfortable and draw cutting lines in pencil.

 

For sizing, shove both halves continuosly together until they are tight, but still feel comfortable when you flex your bicep. The cover strip is supposed to be 15 mm wide. Make sure, that the other cover strip is on the exact opposite of your upper arm, much like a north and a south pole.

[Chills[TK]]

 

Btw, just start cutting! You really can't do anything wrong, that is not fixable ...

 

 

This! Believe it or not, if you mess up there's probably someone who's also made the same mistake and a fix has been figured out. 

[Keyla]

You folks are just fantastic

 

I started cutting tonight. I am a bit concerned about both the length and width of my forearm pieces compared to my girly girl-arms. It is long enough to extend onto my elbow and hand, and wide enough to smuggle a small ewok.

 

I plan to sand away extra at the wrist end and on the long edge after i have done some fittings!

 

 

 

 

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Edited June 21, 2015 by Keyla

[Bone[501st]]

Try the inner part of the forearm first and take the measurements from there. You might be amazed ...

In the last photo you put the outer part on your arm and tried to bend your arm.

That won't work because the part with the quad indentions goes from the tip of your elbow to the wrist and not like you put it on.

You had it right in the first photo.

Edited June 21, 2015 by Bone

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Finish to size and to glue the forearm together before thinking about shortening its length. The iner half has a deep curve at the top specifically to allow you to bend the arm. And if you really can't bend your arm once glued together, deepening the curve on top of the inner half is often enough to solve that problem.