KMan's Anovos TK Adventure Build

[kman[TK]]

Sorry for the delay in posting updates, it’s been really busy at work, which is where I usually take the time to write these updates.

 

First, though, I took an unsuccessful crack at the belt. I need to pop off the cover discs so I can drill out the rivets, and move the plastic belt cover over to my shiny new Rob Kittle belt. I removed the holster easily, since it’s just held on with Chicago screw. Unfortunately, the three cover plates were stubborn, so now the old belt is now chilling in the freezer, pondering the error of it’s ways. I’ll try again soon with frozen glue, which should be more brittle.

 

The shims are pretty much done. Enough, for now, that is!  I still need to make a batch of ABS paste and get sanding to “disappear” that seam, but for basic cert, the one extra seam is permitted anyway (maybe even higher?).  So I’ll do that later, once I’m 100% certain everything else is good and no changes need to be made. 

 

 

One shim is angled a little funky, but that won’t matter once it’s strapped around my waist.

 

 

I made the decision to go with the Anovos strapping system, at least for now.  Over time, I’ll upgrade to button plates, bit by bit, but this should get me up and running sooner, so I know everything fits.  It’s tough to test-fit everything well, when it’s all falling off of you!

 

I then spent an afternoon back on the belt sander, cleaning up trim edges closer to final.  The shoulder bells were especially obnoxiously tight, scratching up the bicep pieces (or at least it might have, had I not kept the plastic wrap on, LOL!), so those in particular needing thinning.  I did some general cleanup on most of the other pieces, too.  That's probably it for the belt sander, though... future work will be with hand sanding and I'll finally bust out the Dremel.

 

Next up is to start placing Velcro into the armor. (Soft side, cut from the provided roll) I cut a bunch of 3" strips, as per the instruction diagram, and put them into the shoulder bells (stupidly easy).  Don’t forget to sand your surfaces first!

 

 

Then I put the three into the butt plate.  Easy-peasy.

 

 

I put the two pieces in the bottom of the back plate, also simple.  Right at the edge, just as pictured.  But the kidney plate, which ties it all together, you need to be a little more careful with.  One side of the strap can go wherever, but to get the correct tension, the placement of the Velcro pad can vary for the other side. Since I placed the pads for the top and bottom at the edge, the kidney plate is where the careful placement needs to happen.

 

The butt plate should fit snug against the kidney plate, right on the bottom edge, while the top (back) plate can have a little more space, if needed, depending on height, so I tested it to make sure it all fit first.  I placed the velcro to connect the top straps a little lower, so it hangs at the right height while I wear it.  Note, btw, in case you missed it: The three straps that snug the butt plate to the kidney plate are noticeably shorter than the rest of the straps.  This is on purpose, of course, since it’s supposed to be a short hop anyway, keeping them tight.

 

Here you can see it all spaced out:

 

 

And here you can see it with all put together of the connector pieces connected. You'll note I diverged slightly from the Anovos pattern, since I have side shims for the connection between front and back. I'll get to that later.

 

 

Same process for the front two pieces. Followed the Anovos photo for the ab plate velcro (loop side), then test fit everything a couple of times to make sure the chest plate was correctly positioned, before I attached the top velcro pad.

 

 

My Anovos belt was still in the freezer, but I decided to do a quick test fitting, using the TKittle belt to hold it on.  Action pose necessitated by a thigh that kept wanting to fall down, LOL. The good news is the shoulder bells no longer have a death grip on my biceps, the bad news is I definitely need those shoulder straps to keep them up, now, LOL!  (The photo showing them installed, just before this pic, was actually taken shortly after this one was, when it was clear the shoulder straps needed to be added, STAT!) Slowly coming together.  I still need to attach the stupid ammo belt on the right thigh, but after looking at the test fitting photo, I decided to spend some more time cleaning things up first.  I want to finish the interior cover strips on everything first (before that ammo belt is in the way), and I'm not happy with the little gabs at the ends of my thigh pieces.  The extra space seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it needs cleanup.

 

 

Note: Taking selfies alone is a PITA with gloves!  Even with a 10 sec timer, there's no way to trigger the photo, get into position, helmet up, adjust it all, and get the glove on!  I need my wife to help but I'm usually working on the armor in the wee hours while she sleeps.

Edited March 21, 2016 by kman

[kman[TK]]

Since the strapping work, I’ve done more, but it’s all slow, tedious, and boring.

 

I’m almost done adding internal cover strips to each *$%# joint in the armor. The forearms and biceps are easy (side note: Working on the biceps is great. Between the short length and the cutout, you really don’t need to use magnets to clamp! I can easily fit 4 clamps in, for excellent clamping across nearly the whole length, along with tape.).

 

 

Cutting interior cover strips is simple, btw. Lots of scrap left from the initial rough cut, so just find a piece that’s long enough, get out the ruler, and cut a strip that’s the same thickness as the front strips (or close to it... it’s fine if it’s a smidge thinner, since it’s on the inside and can’t be seen). The scrap is somewhat thinner material than the supplied cover strips were, but these aren’t the main structural bits anyway, so that’s irrelevant. In fact, it’s probably good to have them be a little thinner and more out of the way. Anyway, cut the strips with a ruler, chamfer just the like the outside strips, sand it REALLY smooth (remember, this is the part that touches you and it'll be a pain to get in there later), and glue them down, same as the first time. Very simple! Just tedious and time-consuming, waiting for glue to dry. (The one downside of E6000.)

 

 

The other thing that I have worked on is filling in the gap in the front of my thigh pieces. When I first made them, I purposely spaced them out a bit, behind the cover strip, to give myself a little extra room inside. (I’m a big guy) It worked well, but it’s more noticeable than I first thought, as you can see in the “action” pic just above, in my previous update. That little gap really jumps out at you with a black background! So I decided to make inserts to fill the gap, and sandwich them in place with the inner cover strips. I basically hand cut a little filler piece, and bent the tip to match the return (it’ll get sanded more perfectly once glued in). After it’s all dried, I’ll use ABS paste and sand the fronts even more, to make a perfect finish. (These photos are all various pieces, since I had the same issue with one forearm, but they all illustrate the point)

 

 

 

Here I’m adding the inner cover strip, and you can see the final result. (pre ABS paste, of course) (I'm not sure why I didn't use tape on this one to secure it, but it was fine)

 

 

Edited March 21, 2016 by kman

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

On your kidney where you added the shims, you need to go all the way down and eliminate the kidney notch that comes with the kit. Since you're extending it you have to make new 22 x 22mm notches on the shims. I had to do the same thing with my MTK.

[troopermaster]

Why would he 'need' to do that? Do you not understand the concept of the notches on the kidney plate?

 

If you need to shim your waist then this is the correct way to do it, although they look better glued in from the inside rather than the outside. The shim should come from above the notch as it is an extension of the kidney and the but plate line up with the notch.

[kman[TK]]

Why would he 'need' to do that? Do you not understand the concept of the notches on the kidney plate?

 

If you need to shim your waist then this is the correct way to do it, although they look better glued in from the inside rather than the outside. The shim should come from above the notch as it is an extension of the kidney and the but plate line up with the notch.

"Glued from the inside"? Not sure what you mean there. The shims are all glued only on the inside.

 

Thanks for the confirmation on the notch. I've seen it both ways.

[illusionz_09[TK]]

 

Note: Taking selfies alone is a PITA with gloves!  Even with a 10 sec timer, there's no way to trigger the photo, get into position, helmet up, adjust it all, and get the glove on!  I need my wife to help but I'm usually working on the armor in the wee hours while she sleeps.

 

Welcome to the club. I also have an 8 month old, so its only when she goes to bed at night that i can work on the armor.

Finding time is difficult, but i see you are moving through it rather quickly in spite of the time constraints. Good Job though!

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Why would he 'need' to do that? Do you not understand the concept of the notches on the kidney plate?

 

If you need to shim your waist then this is the correct way to do it, although they look better glued in from the inside rather than the outside. The shim should come from above the notch as it is an extension of the kidney and the but plate line up with the notch.

 

From my understanding, the notches are 22 x 22mm. If you need to add length to your kidney, using the molded in cut out location, i.e. AP kidney, they would be much longer than 22mm. By going what you're saying and having the notch start where but butt plate meets would mean the notch needs to be longer than 22mm. I see from Pandatroopers thread asking about this, it is in the air until after elections. 

[kman[TK]]

I look forward to seeing how the notch question is worked out. Meanwhile, it's easy enough for me to change, if need be.

[troopermaster]

From my understanding, the notches are 22 x 22mm. If you need to add length to your kidney, using the molded in cut out location, i.e. AP kidney, they would be much longer than 22mm. By going what you're saying and having the notch start where but butt plate meets would mean the notch needs to be longer than 22mm. I see from Pandatroopers thread asking about this, it is in the air until after elections.

I understand the 'rules' on here but they do not really apply to my way of thinking. The notches are different sizes on each side and they only appear on more accurate kits. I feel if someone is too big for the their armour then it looks much better to simply extend the part above the notch. If your armour does not have a notch then simply make a shim that starts 22mm above the lower edge of your kidney plate. It is kind of one of those things that does not really concern me since my kits come with the notches but I do not like to see others stressing out over something that is minor. If your kit does not have the notch then do not worry about it since it probably does not have a lot of other details it should have.

[kman[TK]]

NOTE: There's been reports of the shins arriving mis-marked by ANOVOS. The instruction booklet may also be incorrect resulting in inaccurate assembly. We're investigating. If you want, hold tight on the shins until we get this resolved.

Speaking of which, here's my write-up of the shin issue some of us have found with our particular kits.

 

http://obsidiustk.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-shell-swap-and-this-is-why-i-use.html

 

Mine was missing the art too, so I'm not sure if that's related.

Quoting from ukswrath's build thread, here.

 

There have been many photos posted of people with the exact same shin armor issue that I've been worrying about.  Here are mine:

 

 

Since my shin armor clearly has the same issue others have pictured, I decided to bite the bullet, last night, and tear apart the pieces.  Fortunately, they were only attached at the front, and I had not even gotten around to putting in inside cover strips, so it was quite simple.  It look a fair amount of muscle to start the E6000 tearing apart, but once it really got started, it all came apart with relative ease.  Frankly, the most difficult part was removing the sniper knee, even though it was only attached in a relatively small space, because you had to be careful about how it bends while pulling hard.  Removing the knee plate left behind some glue reside, as, of course, did separating the pieces. 

 

 

The area where the knee plate attaches was sanded lightly, of course, for better glue adhesion.  Once the pieces are all reassembled, I'll likely need to use some Novus 1-2-3 to repolish the section that moved to the other leg.  Otherwise, the process should be quick and easy.

 

I left the cover strip attached to one side on, so reassembly is even simpler, with the cover strip already firmly glued into position on one side.  I scraped, picked and pulled all the old glue residue off as best I could (takes some hard pinching and pulling... my fingers are kinda sort this morning!), and a sponge sanding block took care of the rest.  When ready to re-glue, the surfaces looked just as good as they did the first time I glued.   I used every magnet and clamp I could get on there to make sure it's nice and flat, so I could only do one last night.  I'll do the other tonight.  Initial appearance of the clamped armor seems considerably more closely aligned than the original version did, above, so I feel confident this was the right move.

Edited March 21, 2016 by kman

[kman[TK]]

Just to wrap up last night's work, the inside cover strip finished up on my thigh pieces last night, and I'm quite happy with how it all came out.

 

 

Also, the little gap at the bottom of the thigh, just above the knee, that I was worried about? The little shims I made to fill the gap seem to have worked well, too. I'll still be doing some ABS paste and sanding to clean it up, but already it looks a lot better than it did. Even as-is, you really can't see it from more than a few feet away.

 

Edited March 21, 2016 by kman

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

That came out really nice. 

[kman[TK]]

Not a huge amount to report, from last night. My re-done shin came out fine, as expected, so now the other one is clamped and glued. Nothing much to see here that we haven't seen before, but:

 

 

I did a quick test fitting so I could see about connecting my thigh armor, since it's a PITA that it always falls down. The stock Anovos button plates seem just fine, so I went ahead and glued them in place on the back of the ab plate. Naturally, I sanded the back for better glue adhesion, and just in case, I used some Scotch tape to cover the metal backs, in case of E6000 heat reaction. (not likely, but an easy precaution) I taped them in place thoroughly so they don't drift in position along the smooth plastic back. I wanted them to stick on really well, and my regular clamps were a hair too small, so I grabbed some beefier ones from the garage. You can't actually see the button plates, here, because I laid a strip across the top (still more scrap, just a really hard piece shaped like an L bracket and thus nice and strong) of the two buttons, so the clamp put even pressure across them.

 

 

Next up is some finishing work on my side shims, and on the little filler tabs I installed on the thighs. Gotta take care of those before I attach the ammo pack to the end of the thigh, else I won't be able to get to it later.

 

So I had my first foray into the fun-filled world of ABS paste. I'm not ready to actually apply until tonight (perhaps), but I thought I'd prep it. I've been stuffing small scrap plastic bits (powder from the belt sander, curly-cues from edge cleanup, etc., along with some hand chopped little bits, into a baby food jar I had. (I have a bunch saved from when my dog was a puppy, as they're really handy for small stuff like this!)

 

 

I added perhaps a teaspoon of acetone (no measure, just eyeball a splash) and let it sit for a while. I was trying to be careful not to add too much and have runny paste. I don't have a stir stick handy so I grabbed one of my plentiful pieces of scrap from cutting the cover strips, and poked it a bit with that. It clearly needed more, so I added about the same again, capped it again, and later stirred it more. I think it might need still a bit more, in the end, but it's clear the process happens fast enough I can deal with it tomorrow. I'll also grab a proper stirring and spreading stick. (read: wooden starbucks coffee stir stick!)

 

 

Here it is after the last acetone addition and a small amount of poking and stirring. I expect things will dissolve further overnight.

 

 

I capped it, and will revisit tomorrow...

 

Fun fact: I'm actually getting low on E6000! I picked up another tube at lunch today, so I don't risk running out. Turns out Michaels (craft store) is cheaper than Amazon; I wish I known that the first time I bought...

Edited March 21, 2016 by kman

[kman[TK]]

Getting there. But wow, there's still such a long way to go...

 

I checked in on the ABS paste, and I'm glad I just let it sit, because it was pretty much perfect today.

 

 

I stirred the thick goop with my stir stick (wood starbucks stir stick!), and spread a thin layer over the right thigh front bit that had used a filler piece to close the gap. It looks great there, even goopy!

 

 

I'll sand this down this weekend and it should really disappear (it seemed to dry within 15 minutes, but I want to give it more time). I wanted to start testing on this one, though, because if I mess up, at least it'll be hidden behind the ammo pack. Once the proof of concept is confirmed, I can start on the other bits needing this treatment, too.

 

The shin armors are finished being reglued, after swapping the mislabeled part. Looking at these as if I was wearing them, i.e., to you, my right leg is on the left side of the photo, and my left leg is on the right. So in the photo, the sniper knee plate needs to go on the left leg armor which is on the right edge of the picture.

 

 

Here they are from a lower angle, where you can see the inside calf plate sloping downward much more sharply than the outside, for both legs, much as ukswrath described in his thread:

 

 

Two other identifying features I note (assuming I've assembled these correctly) are that (1) the top edge, the one that would be visible from the right, angles downwards much more sharply than the top edge you can see looking from the left. Further, (2) the ankle portions appear to dip a bit lower for the outside ankle, on both sides.

 

As soon as I have confirmation, I'll add the inside cover strip and pop the sniper knee back on the left knee (again, the one on the right side of the photo).

 

Shins mostly sorted, I turned my attention to the rest of the kit.

 

The button plates for the thigh armor have cured:

 

 

So I test-fit the armor again, so I could be sure where the thigh straps will hit, and added the interior loop-side velcro.

 

 

Here's the full kit (except of course for the shins, shoes, thigh ammo pack, corrected belt, TD, a LOT of fine-tuning...). It's starting to look a lot more like real TK Armor!

 

 

Next step is to glue the interior cover strip on the back of the left thigh. I prepped a strip, and like the right thigh, I decided to incorporate a bend to follow the lip ridge, which closes the small gap in the back nicely, from behind. This is the last inner cover strip I'll have to do, other the shins! YAY! I love the way it looks, but what a pain. I loaded it up thoroughly with magnets, because the thighs definitely have more of a curve to them than other pieces.

 

 

OH! Great news on the shoe front: A guy on the FB Anovos group bought a pair of TK Boots (in my size) just before they ran out, and just realized they don't fit him. So he sold them to me at cost. Technically, I think I saved $0.90 or so on brand new boots (except for the one test fitting, no different from the shoe store), AND I don't have to wait until the end of next week for TK Boots to get their stock replenished and start taking orders again, and actually ship them out, and they get here. I should have them in hand early next week, which should move my completion date up by easily a full week! Once I have the boots, I can finally finish closing up the backs of the shins, so that's a BIG step forward.

Edited March 21, 2016 by kman

[hupspring[TK]]

Next step is to glue the interior cover strip on the back of the left thigh. I prepped a strip, and like the right thigh, I decided to incorporate a bend to follow the lip ridge, which closes the small gap in the back nicely, from behind. This is the last inner cover strip I'll have to do, other the shins! YAY! I love the way it looks, but what a pain. I loaded it up thoroughly with magnets, because the thighs definitely have more of a curve to them than other pieces.

 

Good idea with bending the inner cover strip on the thigh, I wish I thought of that! The lip ridge of my thighs have a slight gap and I'm thinking of just sticking a small piece of ABS in that spot on the inside.

[troopermaster]

 

You have assembled the shins correctly but they are laid out for the wrong legs in the this photo. The longer parts are the inner halves and the shorter parts and the outer halves.

[troopermaster]

Here is a photo of the original RS owned LFL shins.

You can clearly see they are made up of two outer halves. When RS made their kits, they altered then shins to make them look like they had inner parts (even though they did not do a very good job to mimic the original parts) so now Anovos has those same altered parts which are longer and have a more pronounced calf muscle shape.

[kman[TK]]

 

You have assembled the shins correctly but they are laid out for the wrong legs in the this photo. The longer parts are the inner halves and the shorter parts and the outer halves.

That's odd because ukswrath, in his thread, said I had it laid out correctly, based on the same photo:

 

 

So was I correct, above, or not?

Yes

 

Who is right?

 

I've already re-attached the sniper knee, too. As long as it fits ok, it's not a problem, right?

Edited March 21, 2016 by kman

[troopermaster]

Who is right?

I know who my money is going on

 

Seriously, do you think I am pulling your leg? Do you think I am going out of my way to mislead you?

 

Maybe I am wasting my time with this forum.

[kman[TK]]

I know who my money is going on

 

Seriously, do you think I am pulling your leg? Do you think I am going out of my way to mislead you?

 

Maybe I am wasting my time with this forum.

I'm sorry, I really did no intend even a sliver of disrespect, if that's how it came off. I'm new here and don't know who to listen to, beyond that you and ukswrath BOTH are clearly well-respected. So it's confusing to get conflicting answers from two apparently solid sources. Clearly one of the two knowledgeable, respected people is incorrect... how was I to determine who without asking for clarification?

 

I guess under the circumstances, with you having confirmed your answer with explanation and reference photos (and confirmed it again when questioned on it), that I'll go with your advice. I want it right, or it'll bug me, even if it fits..

 

Looks like I get to tear off that sniper knee plate one more time. Wheee!!!

 

I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to let me know.

Edited February 22, 2016 by kman

[illusionz_09[TK]]

for answers "Better Call Paul" lmfao

Troopermaster knows his shucks.

[kman[TK]]

The armor-building adventure continues!

 

Or perhaps I should say "mis-adventures" in armor building?

 

I tore off the sniper knee again, to get things 100% right. Probably "good enough" as it is, but knowing something is wrong would have driven me batty. So one more time, I peel off globs of E6000, my best friend. At least the legs themselves are finally assembled correctly! At least as fixes go, the sniper knee is easy to move. And doesn't use any precious magnets, since clamps work great on the edges. It'll have to wait for tomorrow to be glued, though (see below).

 

Next, I decided to tackle my belt once and for all. After spending a week in the freezer, though, those damn button caps did NOT want to budge. After seeing a thread on FB where someone had screwed theirs up, however, I realized the simple answer. Stop struggling, and cut the damn things out! Very easy to patch and reinforce from behind. Then I don't have to worry about damaging the belt itself.

 

Patting myself on the back, I cut them out, lickedy-split. (the holes you see are completely behind the button plates)

 

 

Then I grabbed more scrap and made "cover strips" for the back of the belt, using my now well-honed skills at making cover strips. Glued, clamped, done. Sweet!

 

 

Of course, all of that went far too easily. Because now began the task of getting the rivets out of the button covers. Apparently some people had very lightly glued setups. I did not. It's not clear in this photo, but all three of mine were absolutely cemented in there rock solid, with the entire cup filled with an industrial epoxy from hell. I had to resort to a Dremel with a cutoff wheel, sawing in at an angle to get under the rivet, and then popping it off with pliers.

 

 

Two went fine, once the Dremel chewed away enough of the epoxy. Then the third literally crumbled in my hand while trying to get the rivet out. *sigh* Anyone have a link handy to a tutorial on making button covers?

 

Moving on. Now that the thighs are done and the front "shims" have been ABS glued and sanded a bit, it's time to attach the ammo pack, finally.

 

 

I drilled the two indented holes on the ammo pack. Then I placed it carefully, centering the middle "bump" under the cover stip, and wrapped it around to the sides, with the hole centered in the "ridge" at the base of the thigh armor, then drilled the hole in the place right through the first hole. (1/8" drill bit for these, btw) Stuck in a split rivet, and did the same on the other side. At least this one was easy!

 

 

Moving on, it's time to start the rigging inside the arms. At some point I'm going to need to use heat to round out the biceps a bit, too, because they're a lot more oval than round, and my arms are bigger than that. It works, but it could definitely be more comfortable.

 

I watched this YouTube video with footage of the rigging system in the original arms: Stromtrooper armour - correct biceps-to-forearm connection

 

Key point is that the actually connection should not be down the middle of the outside NOR should it be down the middle of the inside, but rather offset. So that's where I placed the velcro loop pads, once I tried it all on and made sure the spacing was good. I haven't put the last strip in the bicep yet, where shoulder bell connects, but I'll do that on my next test fitting, so I know where the end lays inside.

 

 

And lastly, I installed the cover strip inside the front of the right leg, and clamped the heck out of it. Shortly after this, of course, I learned of the leg swap / mixup, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow until I can mount the sniper knee plate on this, when the clamps and magnets come off. That's easy, though.

 

 

Once I put the inside cover strip into the other leg, I'll FINALLY be done with inner cover strips, once and for all.

 

Oh, and in other good news, my shoes arrived today! Hopefully this evening I'll be able to test fit the legs a little. I doubt I'll have time to do any sizing (cutting) or mount the cover strip, but that should happen in the next day or two, now that I can do real fittings with the shoes on.

 

 

The only issue is the shoes are a bit tight. Not at all painfully so, but even with thin dress socks, they're quite snug. They're leather, and I'm sure they'd break in just fine... but while I MAY be able to get thicker socks inside, I doubt I'll be able to get insoles in there, too, even if stretched. Any opinions on whether I should try to exchange them for the next size up?

Edited March 21, 2016 by kman

[Sentry71[TK]]

Courtesy of gazmosis: How to make your own belt rivet covers

 

I love your thigh ammo pack method. I'm definitely copying that.

 

On the boots: mine came from Imperial Boots, but the same applies - they will stretch with use. However, if you are worried about adding insoles, you may want to go the next size up. I thought I had read that most TK Boots users didn't really use insoles, as the padding inside was sufficient; this is from memory, though, so you may want to research a bit.

Keep up the great work!

Edited February 23, 2016 by Sentry71

[illusionz_09[TK]]

you are probably better off emailing ATA or another group for the button covers for the belt.

It will be cheap and faster. Less of a headache too.

my suggestion at least lol.

[welshchris77[TK]]

Just an idea here but if you cut some circles the same diameter at the rivet covers and glued them together with abs paste until you have the right thickness, then sand the edge smooth and glue(abs paste them to a square off cut, when fully dry (a few days to fully cure) countersink a hole in the back with a bench drill or carefully dremel a recess out for the new rivet.

or better still make some of the circles the same shape as a 'washer' before glueing them except the very top one and also pre drill a hole in the square off cut before gluing it all together which will create your recess.

If that makes sense?