here we go! ANH Stunt build

[conkerreloaded]

Getting ready to start my build and boy am I excited to start trimming! I'll be posting pics as I trim and hope to hear some great feedback! I'm watching TK 1636s' tutorial channel on Youtube and am trying to follow him as closely as possible. I'm definitely taking this slow (though it seems not slow enough) and will have plenty of pictures up by days end. Also, does anyone know a good thread for detonator specs? I know its just capped PVC but that's all I do know.

 

Here is my set, surplus 1 extra sniper knee and missing my shoulder bells (I have messaged the guy about that so all parties are aware)

Edited December 3, 2015 by conkerreloaded

[conkerreloaded]

Here we are with some pencil outlines and a (roughly)trimmed kidney plate:

 

 

Buttplate

 

Pencil lines on abdomen & back

 

trimmed kidney plate

[conkerreloaded]

Edit: I'm aware that my lines on the butt plate are wrong and have since corrected them.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Good luck with the build! Lots of trimming and sanding ahead of you.

[conkerreloaded]

Thanks for the encouragement! Trimmed up the butt, kidney, and back pieces though the kidney still needs a lot of work.


Some pictures of the back all trimmed up

 

I'm thinking of switching my focus to the arm pieces due to finding some great build threads, though not having the shoulder bells yet throws me off.

 

Question though: Where is a good place to buy the elastic I need? I asked a guy while at Home Depot today and he looked at me funny so I'm guessing that's not the right place haha

[Sentry71[TK]]

I haven't started my build yet, but from what I understand through reading these forums, your best bet is a local fabric store, both for price and quality.

Others may have more to share on their experiences.

 

One suggestion would be to do a bit more work on sanding edges - it seems that there are a few rough spots that could use some sandpaper lovin'. The bottom of the back piece looks good, but the upper section where the shoulder straps will go looks a bit off to me.

[conkerreloaded]

I haven't started sanding at all yet, in the process of getting a Dremel and sandpaper so it's just virgin trimming. On the shoulder straps, where it looks bumpy, I believe that is extra flash that I haven't cut off yet and wanted to be sure before I do.

[Sentry71[TK]]

You're on track then. Keep up the great work!

Edited October 14, 2015 by Sentry71

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Joann's is a chain of fabric stores. Try there or any local fabric stores. Walmart has some too, just don't buy Dritz snaps because they are cheap for a reason. Check a few of the build threads as some people have posted some more cost friendly snaps that are actually high quality. 

[JDTrooper]

I second that motion on JoAnn's, if you have one near you.  I've looked at AC Moore, Hobby Lobby, and Michael's.  None are any where near as good as JoAnn's for elastic selection.  I'll admit I've also bought some elastic from some Rebel scum on eBay with mixed results.  It's better to see, or better yet feel, the elastic in person.  I never knew there could be so many differences in elastic before I began my TK build a couple months ago.  As for snaps, I went with often recommended Tandy Line 24.  They're harder to find, but most will agree they're worth the extra effort.  I bought mine online, but Tandy does have stores around the country.  My only minor complaint with the Tandy Line 24 snaps would be that the post is a bit long for the thickness of the elastic or nylon webbing it's being attached to.  Tandy is actually meant for leather products so their post length is geared towards a thicker material.  One trick I learned here was to give the post a couple light hits with a Phillips head screwdriver before using the setting tool.  That helps prevent mushing the post to the side when setting the snap.  There may be better ways of doing it, but that works for me.  Dritz snap posts are shorter and therefor easier to set, but as mentioned above, the overall quality isn't as good.

 

Good luck with your build!

[conkerreloaded]

Thought I'd post my pencil marks on the face to see how they look. I'm pretty nervous to trim without feedback as I have a somewhat larger head and it's not super clear on this piece how much of the material is excess.

 

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

That looks about right but don't trim the sides until after you've got everything pieced together and fitted. You may need the extra space. 

[conkerreloaded]

Sweet, thanks.

 

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

[Khazid[TK]]

Same with the bottom. Don't trim that until your ear locations are finalized. Then you can slowly trim away the flash to get to the final opening for your melon....I mean head.

[conkerreloaded]

The past few days I have been extremely hesitant and slightly scared to do much on this project due to not wanting to trim something and then find out I did it wrong later. So after much research and triple checking, I've finished sanding most of the torso pieces and the helmet. I know, it's just a fraction of what I have to do and probably the easiest part but I don't want to screw up(too bad) and I know I won't by going slow and researching everything at least twice. Here are some pictures of today's progress:

 

 

Too much return edge? (bottom of chest piece)

 

biceps, will be sanding and hopefully fitting tomorrow

 

Ditto on the forearms

 

Did I sand the shoulder straps too much?!?

 

I'll post pictures of the helmet tomorrow and whatever else I do. If anyone would like to see closer pictures, let me know, I'll post them.

[conkerreloaded]

Just a note and a question; (looking for an answer while I research it). I left a return edge on the upper part of the forearm as a video I was watching said to. I have also heard that ANH armor has no return edges on the forearms. Can someone (even better, multiple someones) clarify this for me?

 

Trooperbay's videos brought this to light o9posite TK1636's videos on Youtube. Although Trooperbay was building a Sandtrooper, and 1636 didn't specify. Thanks for the info!

[conkerreloaded]

So I decided to go ahead and start the forearms. I trimmed all the return edge, sanded those parts down and fit it with tape. From what I've read(and please correct me if I'm wrong), I do need some return edge on parts of the forearm to qualify for centurion level so that dream is for next time. Here are some pictures of the left forearm. I now just have to trim it to make a butt joint and then glue the cover strip.

 

[Astyanax]

Antonio, as I understand it, you want return edges pretty much everywhere, EXCEPT where your hands and feet come out. No return edge on the bottoms (only) of the forearms or forelegs. Tops get return edges, Everywhere else gets return edges.

 

The purpose here is to make the armor look "thicker" than it is, and a return edge provides that. But it can make things more difficult for your hands and feet, and that's why no return edges were left there in the screen-used armor.

 

Experts, please correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the approach I'm planning to take with mine.

 

Bill

[conkerreloaded]

That's what I keep reading and I did notice in the reference gallery during the Tantive IV assault the absence of return edge near the elbows on the forearms on some of the troopers.

 

I have definitely had trouble fitting my forearm with return edges present so that is why I removed them. I don't mind learning how to remake them if I have to.

 

Also, what I think is my left forearm is actually my right one....... thoughts on this???

 

This is the piece on my left arm(curve doesn't seem to match)

 

Same piece but now on my right arm(curve seems to fit a lot better)

 

Looking at it, I'm probably asking a stupid common sense question but I don't want to get it fitted for the wrong arm

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Return edges as to be removed on the wrist side. Everything else is optional. I got rid of the top return on my forearms to make more room. A lot of the returns depend on your strapping method, making more room, and eliminating pinching.

[conkerreloaded]

Thanks Airborne! I've been swing both with and without but I didn't want to go with my assumption considering my newb status.

 

I'll definitely be trimming all the return edge on the forearms to make for easier fitting and smoother feel.

 

Is there a certain amount of gap I'm supposed to leave for strapping in all the limb pieces or do I make them snug so they don't move?

 

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[conkerreloaded]

After watching a lot of videos and doing much research, I got my trim lines going for the forearms. I'm posting some pictures to show the method I used. I hope they look right!

 

To start, I measure out roughly 7-8mm(about 5/16) from the seam line in the plastic and make two tick marks, one on each end. I then clamped both ends, lining up the tick marks and drew my straight line. This method is quite a pain in the butt if you don't leave a lot for the clamps to grab on to.

 

This is the end result: a straight trim line. I've read that it should taper down toward the wrist so more clarity on this would be great.

 

This piece had a very weird seam, though it could just be flash. I really just made a rough line and it came out pretty well when I looked it over.

 

Any tips are appreciated and I enjoy being told I'm doing something wrong so that I can do it correctly!

[Khazid[TK]]

Once you have the initial trims done do a test fit with your compression top on to get a feel for how the two halves will join. This gives you a chance to fit the armor to you personally before making that final trimming prior to cover strips. This where the size of any taper (if needed) will become apparent. Don't forget to leave space for the gloves at your wrist opening.

[conkerreloaded]

Got back at it today and now the forearms are trimed and fitted. I'm planning to start gluing tomorrow morning and using E6000 it's going to take a few days but I have plenty to work on.

 

I think I did pretty well....

 

I didn't taper at all, just cut a straight 8-7mm off each side to fit the 15mm cover strip and same size shim. They do fit a bit big on me but I plan on remedying that with foam padding inside for a more snug fit. My forearms are pretty skinny so this seemed the best way to do it.

 

I trimmed all the return edges near the wrist and kept all return edges near the elbow. I had a few blade slips that I need to fix with a small amount of goop but it's nothing critical.

[conkerreloaded]

Update so far: Gluing coverstrips on forearms and biceps over the next few days, brackets are all installed in the torso and my helmet has been put together though I've been told there are some issues there with the ears and I need more feedback with that.

I know about the brow trim nt being long enough and have a replacement ordered from Trooperbay

 

These next pictures are taken to show that I trimmed the ears too much compared to where they should sit.

Just the ears...